The New Girl
by Nolly-the-Lolly
Summary: A new agent joins the OSP team, and one agent takes a shine to her. Callen/OC, with Densi, Neric, and the rest of the team. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note- **

**So, this is my very first fanfic, so I would appreciate any comments/ criticism you may have... i.e. Please review. :)**

**I'm Irish, so any words you don't understand are probably just the Irish way of saying things.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters you recognise, maybe if I got G. Callen in my Christmas stocking last year, but I didn't. Sadness.**

**I am going to have at least 1 original character in there, maybe more.**

**I hope this will be a multi-chapter story, but that all depends on reviews. **

**All mistakes are mine.**

**So, without further ado, here is my very first fanfic! Enjoy! **

**~Elle.**

The New Girl.

They were all thinking the same thing. Who was the woman in Hetty's office? She was there when Eric and Nell came in this morning, an hour before Callen or Sam.

When Kensi and Deeks walked in together that morning, bickering about God knows what, she was still there. In Hetty's office.

The all-too familiar whistle interrupted the teams' conversation, and the team made their way up to ops.

Halfway through the briefing, the doors to ops slid open, and in walked Hetty, with the mystery woman in tow.

"Please, continue, Mr. Beale, Ms. Jones." Hetty said, breaking the silence.

As Nell continued the briefing on the new case, about the murder of a Naval Intelligence Analyst in Malibu, Callen could not take his eyes of the mystery woman, who stood before him.

She was striking, to say the least. Her hair was the colour of dark chocolate, almost black, and it fell down to the middle of her back.

Her dark hair was a brilliant contrast with her alabaster skin, which showed from beneath her bright-red blazer.

After Nell and Eric concluded the briefing, Hetty spoke.

"Before anyone goes anywhere, I would like you all to meet Dr. Ava-Joy Connors, the newest addition to your team."

As everyone shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, Callen wondered why Hetty had failed to inform him about a new addition to his team.

" Ms. Connors will be assigned to this team indefinitely. I hope you all will make her feel welcome. She will be partnered with Mr. Getz, upon his return from the CIA in a few days."

Kensi spoke up next. " Does this mean Nate's coming back?"

"Yes, Ms. Blye. Mr. Getz is returning to NCIS as a field agent." answered Hetty.

"Awesome." Deeks said.

"Until the return of Mr. Getz, Ms. Connors will be going into the field with Mr. Hanna and Mr. Callen." Hetty said, looking disapprovingly at Deeks. " I trust you will treat her well." Hetty continued as she turned to the two senior agents.

Sam nodded while Callen remained still, eyeing Hetty.

"Now go! You have a case to solve!"

As the team filed out of the ops centre, Callen turned to Hetty. " Hetty. A word?" She nodded.

When they arrived in her office, she sat down, while he remained standing.

"Why wasn't I informed?" asked Callen.

She sighed. "I knew she was coming, and last week, I was informed that Mr. Getz will be returning next week. It seemed like the perfect time to bring in a new addition to the team"

"Resources are spread thin already, Mr. Callen. A new person, along with Mr. Getz, will be of great use to your team."

"But, _why wasn't I informed?_" he repeated.

"I wasn't aware she was starting today. Assistant Director Granger sent her in a week early, for unknown reasons" she shook her head."Mr. Callen, she is among the most intelligent and capable people currently employed by NCIS. You need to accept her as part of your team."

"I never said I wouldn't." and with that, he left.

**So? What did you think? Should I continue? I promise there will be Densi and Neric, just not until a later chapter. :)**

**Please R&R! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors' Note- I decided to update this again 'cos I had some time on my hands :) **

**Once again, I would appriciate any reviews and/or comments you have :) I've gotten a few more ideas for the story, I'm gonna tell it through different team members' point of view, but I'm not gonna focus on cases all that much. :)**

**And no, I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or any of the characters you recognise. If only.**

**All mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 2

A.J's POV.

I haven't met my new partner yet. Apparently he's away on a joint taskforce and won't return until next week. According to Hetty, I'll be partnered up with my team leader and his partner for the week.

As we all left Ops, I saw Agent G. Callen follow Hetty into her office. Hetty must not have told him I was joining the team.

His partner, Agent Sam Hanna, is a physically imposing man, his six foot something muscular frame towering over my five foot six stature.

As we enter the "bullpen", as they call it, Agent Callen re-enters the group.

"Kensi, Deeks, go talk to the vic's wife," Agent Kensi Blye and her partner, Detective Marty Deeks, nodded, acknowledging Callen's order," Sam, Ava-Joy, and I will go talk to his boss at Navy Intel."

I speak up. "Agent Callen, please, call me A.J. Only my mom calls me Ava-Joy, when she's angry." I flash a smile.

Agent Callen nods, and starts walking. Assuming I am meant to follow, I set off out towards the parking lot. Agent Hanna walks alongside me, although with every step he takes, I must take two.

He slows down, and says to me," G is very territorial. It'll take him a while, but he'll learn to trust you, assuming you earn it."

I smile. "I have every intention to."

Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the Office of Naval Intelligence. Agent Callen steps out of the passenger side of the car, pulling the seat forward so I can get out. I step out, straighten my jacket, while I say "thanks."

The victim's boss only gives us generic answers to our questions. "That's classified." and "I'm not at liberty to discuss that," wasn't going to aid us in our investigation, despite how much her temporary partners pushed the man for the answers.

We made our way back to the Ops Centre, discussing the case the whole way. I was remaining quiet, not wanting to intrude on their partnership. So, it surprised me when Agent Callen asked for my opinion. Fair enough, he was testing me, after all, I was going to have to work with these men for the forseeable future.

"Well, I think that the boss has something to do with it" I say.

"Why?" Agent Callen replied simply.

"His body language," I say,"he was hostile, and his body was screaming to get out of there," I pause. "No wonder the interview only lasted 3 minutes, he couldn't wait to get out of there. Even if he didn't kill the analyst, he's hiding something."

Agent Callen shrugged. "It's worth getting Eric and Nell to check him out anyway." Agent Hanna nodded.

I smile inwardly. If I have to earn Agent Callen's trust, this is a good start.

**So, that's part 2. I think I will continue this story, because I am enjoying writing it.**

**Please R&R! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors' Note - Hey there friendship :)**

**Updating **_**yet again**_** because I have nothing to do :) This chapter is gonna be full of Callen/A.J. This chapter will be longer than previous ones. Hope you guys like it :) **

**I wish I owned NCIS: Los Angeles, but sadly, it belongs to Shane Brennan and CBS.**

Chapter 3

Callens' POV.

With the case wrapped up, everyone sat at their desks, finishing reports before their weekend off. Nate was due back on Monday, his desk, which he will share with his new partner, A.J, was already placed neatly inbetween the two original desks. As he looked up from his paperwork, he caught a glimpse of their newest agent. Her hair was falling over her face, and she was struggling to keep it out of the way. He smiled. He had grown to trust A.J over the course of the investigation, especially when she technically saved his life today. If it wasn't for her, he'd most likely be dead, or in hospital right now, and he hated hospitals.

His thoughts were interrupted by Deeks -of course- stating, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I need a drink," he turned to Kensi, "you in, Fern?"

"Deeks," she said, practically scolding him, " how many times have I told you to stop calling me 'Fern'?"

"Fern?" A.J questioned.

"Long story." Kensi said, standing up. "Okay, Shaggy, I'm in. Callen, Sam? What about you?"

"Nah," Sam said, shaking his head," I got to get home to Michelle, she'll kill me if I ditch her to go drinking."

"Okay," Kensi replied, "Callen?"

"I could do with a drink, or five." he laughed. In his mind, he was hoping Kensi would ask A.J to tag along.

"A.J?" said Kensi, answering his prayers.

"Hmm?" A.J said, raising her head.

"You wanna go get a drink?"

"Uhh, sure." she said, flashing that brilliant smile Callen had grown to love over these last few days.

The sound of footsteps filled the room. Everyone looked up.

"Hey, Wonder Twins?" Deeks shouted to the sound of Eric and Nell approaching. "You two coming drinking?"

"Hell yeah!" said the redheaded girl wonder.

"Yeah." said the tech wizard.

"Great!" Kensi said, "O'Rourkes' in Santa Monica, 1 hour?"

"Yep." everyone said, almost in unison.

"Can someone text me the address?" A.J asked.

"Yeah, sure!" Kensi said, pulling out her phone.

"Thanks," she said, getting up." See you all in an hour?"

"Yeah."

And with that, they all left to go home to change.

1 Hour later.

As Callen pulled up to the bar, he saw A.J walking in.

"A.J!" he shouted, as he paid the cab driver. He'd never been an impatient person, but something about this woman made him not act like himself.

"Agent Callen," she said, smiling. If you asked him, her smile was her best feature.

"A.J," he said, " it's either Callen or G. We work together everyday, there's no need for formalities"

"Okay, _Callen_." God, she made his name sound so damn good."Shall we go inside?"

"Yeah." he said, smiling. "Lead the way."

They found Kensi, Deeks, and the Wonder Twins sitting in a corner booth, with five beers on the table.

"Hope you like beer." Kensi said, looking up at them.

"I'm half Irish, I like anything with alcohol," she said.

They all laughed.

**So, there you have it. Chapter 3. I'll continue the bar scene in the next chapter, told from A.J's point of view. Just wanted to give you a little heads up, I've written a Densi chapter, but I'm not sure when I'll post it.**

**Please R&R!**

**~Elle.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note- Hey guys :) **

**I wanna thank everyone who's been reading and following and reviewing this story! **

**I love writing it so I'm probably gonna upload 2-3 chapters everyday for the next few days.**

**I'm currently in the market for a beta reader, so if anyone's interested, contact me :)**

**This chapter is from A.J's POV, set in the bar.**

**Disclaimer: No. I don't.**

Chapter 4

A.J's POV.

I can admit to myself that I dressed up slightly, for _him_. I live in Santa Monica, so I didn't have to waste precious time commuting. I could use what time I had left to shower, spend a good half an hour obsessing over my clothes, and spent twenty minutes applying make up.

I think to myself, if my sister were here with me, she'd ask, "who's the lucky guy?" I never wear this much make up. Concealer, Mascara, sure. But tonight I had on the whole nine yards. Foundation, powder, eyeliner, eyeshadow, etc, etc. I knew what type of bar O'Rourkes' was. Lara wanted me to go there for drinks last week, but I was still unpacking.

After what seemed like an eternity, I was dressed in dark blue jeans, and a tight, red, tank top with a black cardigan, accessorized with red pumps and a long, gold necklace Cassie got me for my birthday.

As I entered the bar, I heard him call out my name. It had to be him. No-one else would make my name sound _that_ good.

As we talked, I couldn't stop staring at those eyes. God, _those eyes._ I just wanted to stare at them all day.

I've never felt this way about a guy, ever. It's just something about him that makes me feel like a teenager again. Butterflies in my stomach. Blushing when he says my name.

As we drink, and talk, I keep trying to slip little facts about me into the conversation, but soon after, Kensi says, "A.J! I just realised I know virtually nothing about you!" she pauses, "okay, Q&A time. Do you have any family?" she begins.

"I'm the eldest of 6, my dad died when I was 17, my mom still lives in the house I grew up in, in Seattle."

"Oh, I'm sorry about your dad." Kensi says sympathetically.

"Thanks."

"YAY! I love this song!" Nell says, jumping out of her seat and dragging Eric against his will to the dance floor.

"Care to dance, Fern?" Deeks said to Kensi, who hit him playfully in the arm when he calls her 'Fern'.

As they make their way to the dancefloor, I am just left with _him._ He laughs at the sight of Eric attempting to dance, and I laugh with him. He looks at me, blue eyes meeting green, and smiles. "You look beautiful, A.J."

I can't help but blush. I giggle, and say, " thanks, you don't look so bad yourself."

He stands up as a slow song comes on. The bartender says its the last song of the night, so we should dance.

He holds out a hand to me. "Shall we?"

I think for a moment, but I know I will eventually dance with him, so I take his hand. His skin feels warm and soft against mine. I want to treasure this moment, this dance, because it might be as close to him as I'll ever get.

His body stands closer to mine. Even at five foot eleven, he towers over me. He looks down to me. Blue eyes meeting green. I know he can see me blushing, but I don't care, because I see him blushing, too.

**So, whaddya think?**

**Please R&R!**

**~Elle.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note- Hey guys :)**

**This is a Neric chapter, set the morning after going for drinks with the team. Hope you guys like it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I wish.**

Chapter 5

Nell's POV.

I wake to a raging headache, and an empty bed. It hadn't been empty last night, that's for sure.

The smell of cooking wafts into my bedroom through the open door. I put on his t-shirt, and with him being so much taller than me, it almost reaches my mid-thigh, but not quite. It smells like him, like the ocean.

As I walk out of the bedroom, he comes into view. He's not wearing his glasses, and his blond hair is messy. He's not wearing a shirt, and I can see his muscular abs which only come from years of surfing.

He looks up, and smiles.

"Something smells good." I say, smiling back.

"Blueberry pancakes," he says, wrapping his hands around my waist, "I know they're your favourite."

I stand up on my tip-toes and lightly kiss him on the lips. "Good morning, Mr. Beale."

"Good morning, Ms. Jones."

The team still don't know about their _thing_, I'm not using the r-word or I'll jinx it. I think Callen and Sam suspect something. Hetty most likely knows, but she hasn't called them out on it. Deeks and Kensi are so wrapped up in figuring out that they have feelings for each other, that they probably don't suspect anything.

"So, when do you want to tell them?" I say, finishing my pancakes.

"Who? The team?"

"Yeah."

"Whenever you want."

"After the next case? I mean, Eric. We've been together almost 7 months now, I don't wanna put off telling them any longer."

"Okay, deal. But Lord knows how long the next case is going to take."

"You're right."

"Okay, enough serious talk." He bends down and kisses me.

"I'm gonna go take a shower," I say, stripping off my t-shirt and biting my lower lip, "care to join me?"

"I'm so glad we have all weekend off."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note- I love writing this story, so here's another chapter! Enjoy! :)**

**~Elle.**

**Disclaimer- Haha. No.**

Chapter 6

Callen's POV.

It's Monday, and a workday. It means I can see _her_ again. Her sunny smile, her pale skin, her beautiful green eyes. She's not my partner anymore -Nate's back. Well, he's meant to be.

She struts in at nine o' clock, on the dot. She's wearing a black and red plaid shirt, black jeans, with her hair in a messy side braid. I've never been one to notice women's hair or clothes, but she pulls off her effortless attire perfectly.

"Morning Kensi, Deeks, Sam, Callen."

I stop myself from smiling when she says my name. It's almost like, every time she opens that beautiful mouth of hers, I want to smile. Her voice is just that amazing -everything about her is amazing.

"Morning." everyone says to her.

"So, my new partner, is he in yet?"

"Nope, any minute now." Kensi said.

Seconds later, a familiar voice joins the group conversation. "Morning, everybody."

"Nate!" Kensi says, hugging him.

"Welcome home, buddy." I say to Nate, shaking his hand.

"Good to see you man." Deeks says.

"Nate." says Sam.

"You must be my new partner," Nate says to A.J, extending his hand, "Nate Getz."

"A.J Connors," she says, shaking his hand, "I've heard great things about you."

"And I, you," Nate says, "born in Seattle, Washington, eldest of 6, 3 brothers, 2 sisters, achieved a BA in forensic science from California State University, and an M.D in forensic pathology from Boston University, you were recruited to the FBI straight out of college, and were stationed in Quantico for the last 2 years before you became an NCIS agent last week."

"You read my file." A.J says, after listening to her educational history.

"I have to know my partner."

She smiles that brilliant smile again.

I have to admit, I'm quite surprised at her choice of education. Forensics? I would have thought she studied, well something else, but I never suspected forensics.

"Wait, forensic _pathology_?" Deeks says, clearly as surprised as I am.

"Yeah. I'm a qualified Medical Examiner." she says, smiling.

The sound of Eric whistling interrupts our reunion with Nate.

"Nate! Good to see you man!" Eric shouts down to us. "Uh, we have a high-profile case."

Upon entering Ops, Assistant Director Granger is standing with Hetty.

"Nell, Director Vance, please." Hetty says to Nell. "Welcome back, Mr. Getz."

Nate nods.

This case must be bad, if Granger is here _and_ Director Vance is on the line.

"Hetty." The Director's voice fills the room.

"Director." Hetty replies.

"Nell, start the briefing." Vance says.

"Yes, Director. This is Hasim Nasir, a bomb expert based in Washington," Nell began as she pulled up a picture of this man, "yesterday evening, a warehouse where Nasir had been living exploded. He was killed instantly. When the crime scene had been processed, the cause of the explosion was found to be a faulty gas line. Arson was ruled out. However, once the body had been autopsied, it was found that he did not die from the explosion. He was murdered. The Washington team investigating this homicide found that Nasir may have been killed by a client, as they found bomb making materials in the warehouse, and e-mails detailing a transaction between Nasir and an unknown party." Nell paused, "Nasir was found to have been wired two hundred thousand dollars the day before he was killed. The money came from a shell corporation known to be a front for transactions originating from a home-grown terrorist cell, based out of New York. We know that this cell was working with Al Qaeda to detonate a bomb in Los Angeles, within 72 hours."

"We received this message from the cell, claiming responsibility for the murder of Nasir." Eric said as he pulled up the email sent to the Washington field office.

_The murder of Hasim Nasir is the first of many. _

_Consider this a warning, a bomb will go off in the City of Angels within 72 hours._

_"The infidels will fall at the hands of the righteous"_

"Mr. Callen, you and your team have less than 48 hours to stop a terrorist attack on U.S soil. Agents Gibbs and Dinozzo are on their way to assist your team." Hetty says to me. "They should be here within the hour."

"Gibbs?" I say.

"Yes, his team were the team that investigated this man's murder."

"Agent Callen," The Director says, "you and your team have been granted temporary immunity to get these sons-of-bitches. Use any means necessary."

"Yes, Director."

"Agent Callen. Our main priority is to find the cell and the target of the cell. Is that clear?"

"Crystal."

**Please R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note- Hey there :)**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, followed, or favourited this story! Keep reviewing! :)**

**Disclaimer- I wish I owned NCIS, but I don't.**

Chapter 7

Nate's POV.

As we left the briefing, Callen sent the team in all directions.

"Kensi, Deeks, stay here and find out who or what the target is. Eric and Nell will keep trying to trace the I.P address of the person who sent the e-mail." he says. "Sam and I will meet up with Agents Gibbs and Dinozzo, and brief them. Nate and A.J, you two review the evidence from the crime scene and create a profile of the suspects. The evidence was shipped to the LAPD crime lab last night, so you can look at the original evidence."

"Yep," A.J says, "Come on, Nate, I'm gonna need some help going over all the evidence."

I follow her as she leaves the Ops centre.

"We'll take my car." she says.

She is clearly a dominating personality, but I guess that comes with being the eldest of 6.

She's clearly beautiful, snow white skin in contrast with her black hair, her eyes as green as the Isle that her mother hails from.

She catches me looking at her, and asks with a smile, "What?"

"Nothing."

"Don't you even try to profile me, Nate."

"I wasn't" I lie.

"Yes, you were."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes, you were, Nate. God, I feel like I'm a kid again, arguing with my siblings." She says.

I remain silent.

"Mara, Lucy, Ryan, Danny, and Adam. They're my sibling's names," she pauses, "but you already knew that."

"Yeah."

"You're an only child, aren't you?"

My silence is all the confirmation she needs.

"Do your parents know? What you do?"

"They think I'm a psycologist."

She nods.

"What about you? Does your mom know you're an NCIS agent?"

"No, she thinks I'm a lab tech in the LAPD crime lab."

She pulls the car into the LAPD parking lot, and we get out of the car.

"Why don't you start putting together the profile, and I'll go to the crime lab and start going over evidence." She says.

"Sounds like a plan."

**Please R&R! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note- Finally, I get a chance to write a Densi chapter :) Hope you guys like it! **

**Disclaimer- As you most likely know, NCIS and its characters belong to Shane Brennan and CBS. Any other characters are mine.**

Chapter 8

Deeks' POV.

As I sit here with my partner, who is typing away furiously at her computer, I can't help but stare at her. She is really the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. Today she wears a white, long sleeved t-shirt, and dark, skinny jeans. A.J, the new-hot-girl-on-the-block, doesn't even compare to Kensi in my eyes.

She interrups my thoughts of her with an "eureka!" moment.

"I think I got something."

"What is it?"

"Sec-Nav will be in Los Angeles for the annual Naval Birthday Ball, on Thursday." She pauses. "A lot of higher-ups, including Director Vance, will be there, as well as reps from the FBI, CIA, DEA, and NSA. If I were a terrorist looking to target a high-profile event, I'd choose this one."

"I'll tell Hetty, you go talk to the Wonder Twins." I say.

"Why do you get to tell Hetty? I'm the one who found this."

"Okay, _you _talk to Hetty, and _I'll _brief Eric and Nell."

She smiles triumphantly, knowing she won, and struts off.

I make my way up to Ops, and see Callen and Sam walking in with -what I'm assuming- are Agents Gibbs and Dinozzo.

I turn around, and walk back downstairs, and say, "you must be the D.C boys."

The older one says, "Special Agent Gibbs, this is-"

"Very Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo." the other one says, extending a hand to my partner, who has walked up beside me.

"Kensi Blye," she says to Dinozzo, "nice to see you again, Agent Gibbs." she shakes hands with Gibbs and says, "This is my partner, LAPD liason Detective Marty Deeks."

I shake hands with both men, and Kensi says, "We think we may have found a potential target, follow me."

We lead the two outsiders into the bullpen, where Kensi says, "The Naval Birthday Ball." she turns to the group. "Sec-Nav, Director Vance, and multiple reps from all the agencies, plus high-ranking naval officers will all be in attendance. It happens on Thursday."

"Within the timeframe." Callen says. "Good work, Kens."

"How'd you know that I didn't find it?" I say. Callen, Sam, and Kensi all laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You, Deeks." Sam says, clearly amused.


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, so I **_**finally **_**get the chance to write another chapter.**

**I'm on holidays, and the only reason I'm getting to write this now is because I'm sick, and my family are gone, so without further ado, here is chapter 9!**

**And you guys already know I don't own NCIS:LA.**

Chapter 9

A.J's POV.

With the evidence leading us nowhere, Nate and I head back to Ops, where Nate will brief the team on the profile he has been compiling.

Nate Getz is a very intelligent man, I've come to learn. I know from Hetty, and the team, that he has been stationed overseas for the past 2 years. The Middle East, mostly, is what Hetty told me.

The car ride to the Ops centre is a silent one, but as we pull into the employee parking lot, an question pops into my head.

"What if the warehouse bombing that killed Nasir wasn't the first test?"

"I guess we would have heard about a similar incident." Nate assumed.

"But no two explosions are alike," I think, "there's different causes, locations, motives." I sigh. "What if the terrorist cell are targeting more than one event?" I say, as the idea pops into my head.

"It said that a bomb will go off within 72 hours, but what if they have a backup plan? If we identify the target, and shut down the event, or close down the building? We don't know if they only have _one target_. They're may be more."

"It's a possibility."

Deeks, Kensi, Sam, and Callen are in the bullpen, along with two strangers.

"Agent Gibbs," Nate says to the silver-haired man.

"Nate." he says, shaking my partners hand. "Nate, Dinozzo, Dinozzo, Nate."

The two men shake hands.

The younger man, Agent Dinozzo, extends his hand to me.

"Very Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo," he says," and you are?"

"Agent Ava-Joy Connors," Callen says to the two men, "our newest recruit."

"Newest, brightest, bestest," I say jokingly, with a laugh, "you can call me A.J."

"Now that everyone's acquainted, let's continue with the case, shall we?"

Everyone turns to find the source of the voice. Hetty.

"Yes," Kensi says, "A.J, Nate, we think we've found the target. The Naval Birthday Ball, everyone who's anyone in the Navy will be there, the Director included."

"Have we shut down the event?" I ask.

"No, the show runners think that its just a petty threat, 'nothing to be scared of,' is what I think they said." Kensi answered.

"The only guest that knows the severity of the situation is the Director himself, and even he can't convince them to shut it down," Hetty says,"so you must find this cell A.S.A.P."

"A.J, did you find anything in the evidence?" Callen asks me, his voice taking me by surprise.

"Nothing useful."

Callen re-directs his attention to Nate."Nate, what about the profile? Anything significant?"

"All I can tell you is that we're looking for a group of men in their late 20's to mid 30's, that have sufficient funds to finance their lifestyle, and they are very dangerous." Nate sighed. "I know that its not a lot, but terrorist groups are notoriously hard to profile."

"It doesn't narrow our search parameters down a whole lot, but it'll help." Callen says.

"Guys, I think we've got something." Nell says, bounding down the stairs with Eric in tow. "We've managed to trace the e-mail to an internet café in Venice, and we were reviewing the security cams, when we found this," Nell paused,"well, it's more like what we didn't find." She pulled up a video of the internet café. "Now, we traced the email to computer number six, in the corner of the café, and if you fast-forward to the time the e-mail was sent, 3.47 PM on Sunday, this is what you see."

My gaze focused to the corner of the screen, and then to the time code. Something was not right.

"There's no-one there." I say.

"But how is that possible?" Deeks, or the floppy-haired detective, as I like to call him, says, with a note of disbelief in his voice.

"It's because the sender composed the e-mail, on that computer, days, weeks, or even months before, on that computer, and set it to send to the NCIS headquarters in Washington, at exactly that time, on exactly that date." Eric explains.

"So this attack was pre-meditated." Kensi states.

"Yes. We're running facial rec. on everyone who has used that computer." Nell says.

"What's the significance of that date and time? I mean, 3.47 PM is too specific a time to just come up with." Sam says.

"I'll run it, see if it has any significance." Eric says.

"Uhh, guys, we just got a major hit on facial rec." Nell says, bringing an image up on screen. "Adam Porter," Nell said, "one of the top enforcers of the American Muslims _._ A home-grown terrorist group, made up of men who were born here, but have Islamic backgrounds. His relatives live in Pakistan, his mother's family."

"Home-grown terrorists?" Sam says.

"Yes." Eric says. "They claimed responsibility for those car bombings outside the federal building last month."

"Do we know where these guys are now?" Callen asked.

"The FBI has been tracking the cell's movements," Nell paused to type on her tablet, "last known location was just outside Carson City, travelling west."

"To L.A." Gibbs said.

"That's what the FBI believed." Nell confirmed.

"Eric, Nell, get to work on finding them." Callen ordered.

"I have a friend in the FBI's Counter-Terrorism division in Quantico," I say, "I'll see what they have on the American Muslims."

"That'd be great." Callen said. "Kensi, Deeks, go through the rest of the tape, in case we missed anything."

"Agent Gibbs, Dinozzo, I would like a word with you two in my office." Hetty said. "Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, the Director wishes to be updated in ops."

"Sorry to interrupt, Hetty, but you guys gotta see this." Eric said. "I found the significance of the date."

"Then tell us, Mr. Beale."

"It's the exact time and date that of a drone strike, designed to take out a major arms dealer in Pakistan, five years ago. It killed the arms dealer, his two bodyguards, and two civilians. One of whom was Porters' sister."

"If one of the victims' was Porters' sister, then this isn't about terrorism." I say.

"No," Hetty says, "It's about revenge."

**Please R&R!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note- Hello there friend :)**

**I'm back with another installment of**_** The New Girl. **_**Wow, Chapter 10 already! I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it :)**

**I don't own NCIS:LA or any of the characters you recognise.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 10

Callen's POV

"If this is about revenge, it puts a whole new spin on the investigation." States Nate.

"Right, so Nate, I want you to create a new profile based on the fact that it is about revenge." I say.

"I'll get right on it."

"Eric, Nell, I want everything you can find on Porter. _Everything."_ The Wonder Twins nod and silently return to Ops.

"Dinozzo and I will update my team in Washington." Gibbs says to me, and I nod.

"Kensi, Deeks, go back over everything, see if we missed anything." They nod and return to their desks. "A.J., have you contacted your friend in Quantico?"

"I'm just about to." She says, seriously. Even when an attack is about to go down on my watch, her face, her voice, makes it all seem distant, calm, even. Her side braid has come loose, making strands of black hair fall down to frame her angelic face, and making it very hard for me to concentrate.

"A secure video confrence? Yeah, 10 minutes will be fine, talk to you then. Bye." She says, hanging up the phone and approaching myself and Sam. "My friend wants to video confrence with us, to tell us about the American Muslims and Porter."

"Okay, Ops, 10 minutes." I say.

"I'll go tell Eric and Nell to expect the call ."

She struts away, and I can't help but stare at her flawless figure. _She surely spends a lot of time in the gym.___I think to myself. I turn back to Sam, who is smiling.

"What?" I say.

"Nothing, nothing." He says. I think I may have stared at her a little too long, if Sam is starting to suspect something.

"Guys, we got something." Nell says, running down the stairs with Eric and A.J in tow. "I was going over Porters' financials, and found that, two weeks ago, he purchased two one-way plane tickets to Moscow. One for him, and one for this woman." She pulled a picture up on the TV. "Sara Miller, a 28-year-old waitress that works in a café downtown. We have her home address."

"Kensi, Deeks, pay her a visit." I say.

"A.J., your contact is coming online." Eric says to A.J.

"Okay, Callen, Sam, she requested you two to be there."

"Lets go, then."

Upstairs, in Ops, we wait for Eric to bring up the confrence. The woman who stands in the video before us cannot be much older than 30, with red hair and a petite frame, just like A.J. They even have the same colour eyes and skin.

"Callen, Sam, this is SSA Lucy Connors, FBI. Lucy, this is Agent G. Callen, and Agent Sam Hanna."

"Nice to meet you both." She has the same lyrical voice as A.J.

"Wish it was under different circumstances." I say.

"Luce, what can you tell us about Adam Porter and the American Muslims?" A.J says.

"Not a whole lot, actually, but what I can tell you is that they're a fairly new group that first came on our radar two years ago for bombs that went off in Seattle -remember them A.J?"

"Yeah, how could I not? Half the city was panicking."

"I know, but after the third bomb went off near the bus terminal, they just- stopped. No-one knows why. As for Adam Porter, I can't tell you anything besides what you guys already know, he was born in Miami, dropped out of high school when he was 16, and went to work in a mechanics near his home. He moved to L.A three years ago and joined the American Muslims. He became their go-to guy for hits, as he had recieved sniper training from his father from a young age." The FBI Agent said.

"Can you tell us anything about Sara Miller? Porter bought a plane ticket for her and himself to Moscow, two weeks ago." Sam asks.

"Yeah, apparently Sara Miller is Porters' girlfriend. They met two and a half years ago, in a café, which Porter frequented. She was a waitress there, and as far as I know, still is."

"Thanks, Luce." A.J says.

"Yeah. You owe me coffee when I come to L.A." Lucy says.

"I'll put it in my calender." A.J says, with a laugh. "Bye Luce."

The screen turned black.

"Guys, I've been checking up on Sara Miller." Eric says. "Born in San Diego, moved here around the same time Porter did, and get this, she just quit her job and closed all her accounts."

"Sounds like someone getting ready to run." I say.

"And Callen?" Eric says to me as we leave the room. "She's three months pregnant."

**There you have it, Chapter numeró 10!**

**All mistakes are mine.**

**Please R&R!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note- I'm baaaack :) **

**I'll be wrapping up the case in the next chapter or two, and continue on with the more romantic aspects of the story. **

**I think I'll do a sequel, it all depends on how many chapters I decide to do, and, of course, your feedback! So please Review!**

**All mistakes are mine, I don't own NCIS, blah, blah, blah. Onwards with the story!**

Chapter 11.

A.J.'s POV.

As we walk out of Ops, Callen and Sam turn to me and Sam says, "Well A.J., you two are awfully alike."

"Who, Lucy and I? I should hope so, she's my sister, after all."

"Your sister's FBI?" Callen says, more than a little shocked.

"I would have thought you knew, Callen."

"I haven't had a chance to review your file, yet."

"Oh." It shocked me how disappointed I was to hear that Callen, G. Callen, didn't find reviewing the file of his newest agent important. _He has better things to do than think of me._

_**30 minutes later.**_

Callen's phone rang. For the past half hour, everyone has been relatively quiet. Deeks and Kensi are out in the field, Dinozzo and Gibbs left 10 minutes ago to interview Sara Miller's parents, Eric and Nell are typing furiously on their computers in Ops, Nate is working on the profile, and Sam, Callen, and I are reviewing all the evidence.

"Yeah, Kenz, Sam and I will be there in 10." He said, hanging up the phone. "Kensi and Deeks caught Sara Miller getting in a taxi in front of her apartment. Their bringing her to the boatshed now."

"Let's go, then." Sam said.

"A.J., as soon as we find Porter's whereabouts, I'll call you, and you and Nate gear up and head to the location, okay?" Callen says to me.

"Yeah." I say dizzily, as those clear blue eyes look at mine. _He has the most beautiful eyes._

"Tell Gibbs and Dinozzo as well, when they come back."

"Of course."

And then, he left.

I return to the photos of all the evidence, searching for a clue, a hint, of where Porter could be. I don't even realise the minutes going past until Nate says to me, "The profile is absolutely no help at finding where Porter could be hiding. What about Deeks and Kensi? Did they find Sara Miller?"

"Yeah," I say, "They brought her into the boatshed-" I pause to check my watch, "an hour ago. Callen said he'd call if Sara told him where Porter was."

My phone rings. Caller ID: G. Callen. I press 'answer'.

"Callen?" I say. "Did you find him?"

His voice came through the phone slightly muffled. "Yeah, she was meant to meet him at LAX at three. Its a quarter past two now."

"Great. Are we bringing him in?"

"Yeah. You and Nate gear up and meet us at LAX in 15 minutes. Are Gibbs and Dinozzo back yet?"

I look up to see the two D.C agents saunter in to the bullpen. "They just walked in. I'll tell them."

"Okay." Callen's voice came through the phone followed by a different sound. _Click._

"Gear up." I say. "We found Porter."

"Where?" Dinozzo asks.

"The Girlfriend was supposed to meet him at LAX, at three pm. Callen wants us there in fifteen." I answer.

"We better get going, then." Gibbs says.

We take two separate cars. Gibbs' rental, and my SRX. It's the same model as Kensi's, but in red. It still has the bullet hole in the wind shield from my first week on the job, and the bumper has a few dings from where I was rear-ended last weekend. Gotta love L.A.

I have briefed Hetty, grabbed my gear, and arrived at LAX, all in thirteen minutes. I park my car beside Sam's Challenger, and Gibbs' car pulls in beside mine.

Callen tells Gibbs, Dinozzo, Nate, and I that Kensi and Deeks are parked outside where Sara was meant to meet Porter, and will call us as soon as he shows.

**2.59 pm.**

"He's early." I say to Callen, our guns in our holsters, and bulletproof vests on our backs.

"By a minute." He says with a smile. "There he is."

I tear my eyes away from that beautiful face of his, and turn my head to witness Adam Porter step out of a taxi, and onto the side walk.

"Adam Porter?" I say, approaching him.

He turns, and his eyes immediately find the letters printed across my vest.

_**N-C-I-S.**_

He turns to run, but his path is blocked by passers-by, one of them being the very imposing Sam Hanna.

"Hello." He says. "Turn around."

As Sam handcuffs him, Callen asks, "Who has the bomb?"

"My sister's death will be avenged." Porter says.

"Who has the bomb?" Callen repeats.

"There is nothing you can do."

"A.J, Nate, take him back to the boatshed."

I nod, and my partner and I grab Porters' arms, and shove him into my car.

_At the boatshed._

Kensi and Deeks enter the room. Callen and Sam have been interrogating Porter for the past hour.

"Anything?" says Kensi.

"Nope." Nate says.

"Has Callen cut the feed yet?" Deeks says.

"I'd say he's just about to." Nate answers.

Sure enough, mere seconds later, Callen stands up on a chair and unplugs the video feed.

"Great." I say.

"Callen cut the feed already?" Gibbs says, sauntering into the room with Dinozzo in tow.

"Yeah." Nate says.

"How long?" Gibbs asks.

"He cut the feed less than a minute ago, so, wait for it, now." Deeks says.

The sound of the door opening proves Deeks' timing right.

"He's that predictable?" I ask.

"Yup." Kensi says.

"A waiter at the ball, Jason Miller, is Sara's cousin. He's gonna plant the bomb." Callen says, dialling a number on his phone. "Eric, I need an address for Jason Miller, Sara Miller's cousin. Thanks. Text A.J. his work address."

"A.J., Deeks, head to his workplace. Gibbs, Nate, head to his house. Kensi, take Dinozzo, go to the banquet hall where the ball is being held. Sam and I will head to a warehouse in Hollywood that Miller has been renting." Callen said.

We knew why Callen mixed the teams up. Dinozzo nor Gibbs knew the streets of Los Angeles very well, but I can't help but think of why he would send me with Deeks. _Team bonding, maybe?_

Deeks and I walk up to my car. As Deeks rounds to the drivers' side, I say sternly, "Don't even think about it, Deeks."

"Wasn't going to."

"Uh-huh, sure."

I've only been here a week and a half, but I know enough about human behaviour to know when someone has feelings for another person, and I see that in Deeks and Kensi. The flirtatious jokes, the nicknames, the way Deeks looks at her, and the way she looks at him. Like they would take a bullet for each other.

_He used to look at me that way._

As we arrive at Jason Millers' workplace, a beat up diner that looked like it was in dire need of a coat of paint, Deeks asks, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You look a little down. What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, I'm a detective. There's no use in trying to hide something from me."

"Just deep in thought, that's all."

"A.J., look, I get it. You're the new girl. Trying to fit in. I've been there."

"It's not anything like that, Deeks. But thank you." I didn't want him to know I was thinking about him, and Kensi.

"For what?"

"For asking." I say, ending the conversation. "Excuse me? May I speak to the manager?"

"You're lookin' at her." The woman at the counter says. "Dorothy Martin, but everyone calls me Dottie. What can I get you two?"

"Actually," I say, flashing my badge. "I was wondering if you could answer some questions."

"About what?" She snapped, her attitude suddenly turning hostile. Clearly someone who doesn't like law enforcement.

"Jason Miller, one of your employees."

"Well, why don't you ask him yourself? He just finished up his shift. He should be headin' to his car right about now."

Deeks and I turn to see a man matching Miller's description getting in his car. "Thank you, Dottie." I say, sprinting out the door behind Deeks.

"Jason Miller!" Deeks shouts. "Federal Agents!"

The man, who is short and stubby, takes off in a sprint. Well, I don't know if you'd call it a 'sprint'. It didn't take us long to catch him.

"Check the car." Deeks says to me.

I pop the trunk. What I see shocks me. "Uhh, Deeks?"

"Yeah?" he says, wrangling Miller from the ground.

"Found the bomb."

Deeks walks over, and together we look at a weapon that could have been used to kill hundreds of innocent people, our director included. And it is the size of a small television.

"How big an explosion could this cause?" Deeks asks me, knowing my forensic science background.

"It would surely take out the whole banquet hall." I answer. "I'll call Sam and Callen."

"Call CSU as well, tell them to bring the car in." Deeks says.

"Yeah, you stay with the car, and I'll take him in."

"Why can't I take him in?"

I answer with a laugh, "And let you drive _my _car? No way."

**So, whaddya think? Please R&R!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note- Another day, another chapter.**

**I don't own NCIS or any of its associates or characters. All mistakes are mine.**

**These next few chapters will be from most characters POV.**

Chapter 12

Sam's POV.

"Well done everyone!" Hetty praised as we walked into the Ops Centre.

We had re-convened in the boatshed a half hour ago, after Deeks had returned after signing Jason Millers' car over to CSU for proscessing. The K-9 unit have been going over the whole banquet hall in search of more explosives.

"The K-9 unit turned up nothing in the banquet hall," Hetty says, "looks like the only bomb was the one Mr. Deeks and Ms. Connors recovered from Mr. Miller's car."

"What about the rest of the terrorist group?" A.J asks.

"As far as we know, they're still at large, but didn't have any part in this plot." Hetty replies. "Now, go home. I need you all showered and back here by 6pm sharp."

I look at my watch. 4:30pm. Barely enough time to get home and shower.

"Do you know why Hetty asked us back?" I hear A.J. ask G. as we all walk out.

"No, but it's Hetty, she probably has a reason." G. answers.

"A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside and enigma." A.J says with a smile, getting into her car.

"Exactly." G. says, smiling back.

G. notices me smiling at him.

"What? Sam, that's the second time today."

"Nothing."

"No, its something, otherwise you wouldn't be doing it. Spill."

By now, we are in the Challenger. "You like A.J." I say simply.

"A.J's a good agent, a nice person, why wouldn't I like her?"

"I'm not talking about that 'like', G."

He looks at me with a puzzled look.

"Come on, don't tell me you think it's not obvious. She's beautiful, smart, no wedding ring. Three of your favourite qualities in a woman."

"Yeah, she's beautiful. Yeah, she's smart. And no, there is no wedding ring. Doesn't mean I 'like' her."

"It's not just that, G. I see the way you look at her, the way you try not to smile when she says your name, or smiles. It may slip past Kensi, Deeks, even Nate, but not me. I'm your partner, and I know you better than that."

"I don't have feelings for A.J. That's it."

"Okay. But if you do, G., and you just aren't telling me, don't waste anymore time. You're nearly forty, G. I want you to settle down and be happy. If not with A.J, with someone else."

That statement reduced the car ride to silence. When I dropped G. off at his place, he uttered, "See you later." And went inside. For the rest of my journey home, I wondered if I had been a little too pushy. _But that's who I am. _

Nate's POV.

**6PM.**

Everyone has come back to Ops on time, except for Deeks. Some things never change. Sam, Nell and A.J. were here when I got here, 10 minutes ago. Callen, Eric, Dinozzo and Gibbs arrived shortly after I did, and Kensi arrived soon after that.

Deeks saunters in at 6:03.

"Mr. Deeks, you're late!" Hetty says from nowhere. We all look around to see where she is. Upstairs, on the balcony.

"Sorry, Hetty. LA traffic." Deeks says sheepishly.

"Why'd you ask us back here, Hetty?" Callen asks.

"Because Sec-Nav and the Director called to say thank you for your hard work. And, as a thank you, The Director and Sec-Nav have invited you to the Naval Birthday Ball, as their honorary guests."

"Really?" Kensi asks.

"Yes, Ms. Blye. And the Ball starts at 8pm, so you better start getting ready. Agents Dinozzo and Gibbs, the director wishes to speak to you first. As for you five gentlemen," Hetty says, gesturing to Sam, Callen, Eric, Deeks, and I, "Your suits are waiting for you in your lockers. And Mr. Beale?"

Eric looks up and says "Hmm?"

"If I see those flip-flops paired with your suit, I will make absolutely sure that you never wear any type of shoes again. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Hetty." Eric says, gulping.

"Ms. Jones, Ms. Blye, Ms. Connors, you three come with me. I have outfits waiting for you."

"Hetty, you don't have to do that." Says A.J.

"Nonsense! If you are going to go to a ball, you shall wear the proper attire. Come on, to wardrobe."

Nell says "Okay."

**Please R&R!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note- Yay! Another Chapter!**

**Disclaimer-Nope. I wish.**

**All mistakes are mine.**

**Onwards!**

Chapter 13.

Eric's POV.

_**1 hour later.**_

_She looks amazing._

I have never seen Nell Jones look this beautiful. The moment she stepped out of wardrobe my jaw dropped to the floor.

Her dress reaches just above her knee. It's red lace, with three-quarter length sleeves and a high neckline. Her red high-heels make it seem like her pale legs go for miles, and a pair of golden earrings hang from her small ears.

"Nell...you look amazing." I say, at a loss for words.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She says with a smile. "Actual shoes?"

"Did you not hear Hetty's threat?" I say, suddenly finding my voice.

"I didn't think she was serious." Nell says.

I raise my eyebrow.

"You're right." she says. "You wanna tell them now, or shall we wait until later?"

"No time like the present." I say, and a wide smile breaks out across her face.

"Guys," she begins, "I just want to say that Eric and I have benn dating for the past seven months. Carry on."

"WHAT?!" Kensi exclaimes, rushing over to hug Nell. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"We just wanted to keep it a secret for a little while." I say.

"Seven months is not a 'little while', Eric." Deeks says. "I'm happy for you, man."

"Thanks, Deeks."

"I knew there was something going on between you two." Callen says.

"Yeah, sure you did, G." Sam says. "Congrats guys."

"Thanks." Nell says.

"I'm happy for you guys." says A.J. with a smile.

"Finally, you admit it." says Nate.

"You knew?" I ask.

"I knew since I came back for that case six months ago. I am a psychologist, after all."

Nell smiles and laughs.

_All these months I thought about how this moment would go down. I never imagined that it would be this perfect._

Deeks' POV.

_She looks amazing._

She takes my breath away when she steps out in that floor-length purple gown. The colour suits her skin tone perfectly. The front of the dress is cut into a deep V, and the two sides of the dress is held together by a gold bar, stretching across the top. The fabric hugs her every curve, and her hair is pulled into a messy bun, exposing her slender neck.

"Kensi...you look breathtaking." I say.

Through her make-up I can see her blushing.

"Thanks, Deeks." She says. "You're looking quite sharp yourself."

I look down at my tux. I _do_ look good, just not as good as Kensi Marie Blye.

"You could use a haircut, though." She says, ruffling my hair. I never usually let people touch my hair, but for Kensi, I'll make an exception.

"I do not need a haircut." I say defensively. "My hair is perfect." _And so are you._

"Yeah, you wouldn't be Deeks without that mop of hair."

"Right."

I see her looking over at Eric and Nell, blissfully happy together. Eric's arm is wrapped around Nell's waist, pulling her closer. That's all I want to do to Kensi right now, pull her closer to me.

"They look so happy together." She says.

"Yeah, they do." Our eyes meet. She has the most beautiful eyes. They are unique. _Just like her._

Callen's POV.

_She looks amazing._

I can't help but envy Nate. He gets to spend every day in the field with her. Every time something funny happens, he gets to see her perfect smile and her funny laugh. When she laughs, everyone else laughs. When she smiles, everyone else smiles. Her optimism is contagious. She can make the darkest moments seem bright, and the bright moments brighter. Every day I long to see her face, and it's killing me. Sam is starting to notice that I act different around her. He's not wrong. I've always been in control of my emotions, but she makes them spiral out of control. When I lay awake at night, I think of her. I've known her only two weeks, but I feel like I've known her forever.

Right now, she looks more beautiful than I have ever seen a woman look.

Her sleek black hair is pulled back in a side bun, and two pearl earrings hang from her ears.

Her dress is black, blacker than her hair, and reaches her knee. It clings to her flawless body, and has full-length sleeves. It has a high neckline, like Nell's, and when she turns around, I see that it is backless.

Her make-up is done perfectly, and on her feet are black high-heeled shoes.

She looks sophisticated, smart, and, above all, beautiful.

"A.J., you're a vision." I hear Nate say.

"Thanks, Nate." she says. "You're looking quite well, yourself."

I can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at those words. _I wish she was saying them to me._

"I have a car waiting for all of you outside." Hetty says. "Go! Have fun!"

"You're not coming Hetty?" A.J asks.

"I am, I will be there later. I have a prior comittment."

We nod and walk out. There are two cars waiting for us. 5 of us in each. Kensi, Nell, Eric, Nate, and Deeks get in one, and Sam, Gibbs, Dinozzo, A.J and I get in the other.

"I can barely sit down in this dress." A.J says with a laugh.

"You look good, though." Dinozzo says.

"Thank you, Agent Dinozzo." A.J says.

"Please, call me Tony." He says with a smile.

"Dinozzo." Gibbs says scornfully.

"Shutting up, boss." Dinozzo says.

The car ride was a short and silent one. It took less than 15 minutes. As we stepped out of the car, the other car pulled up behind us. Nell took Eric's arm, Kensi took Deeks', and Nate took A.J.'s.

We were greeted as we walked into the grand hall. We were handed a glass of champagne each, and we were all standing around a table when the Director came up to us.

"Having fun, everyone?" he asks.

"Yes, Director. Thank you so much for inviting us." Kensi says.

"It's the least I could do considering you saved this Ball in the first place." He says. "Have you seen Hetty anywhere?"

"She said she would be here a little later. Some prior commitment." I answer.

"Oh, well. When you see her, tell her I need to talk to her."

"We will." I say.

"Have fun everyone." The Director says as he walks away.

As the night wears on, many sailors ask Kensi, Nell, and A.J to dance. Every time Nell is asked to dance, Eric's face conveys a look of pure terror, and then relief, as Nell says, "I'm with someone, sorry."

A.J and Kensi, on the other hand, dance with everyone who asks them to. Every time A.J dances with another man, jealousy's knife cuts into me deeper.

_She's not yours to take, G. _

Nate and A.J dance, and Kensi and Deeks, and Eric and Nell.

A.J comes back over to the table after dancing with yet another handsome sailor.

"Having fun, A.J?" Sam asks.

"My feet are killing me. No more dancing for me."

"You know that's not true. You've danced with almost every man in here, The Director, Sec-Nav, and almost every sailor in this room. You'll dance again if someone asks you to." Deeks says.

"You're right. I will." She says with a laugh.

At that moment, another man comes up and asks her to dance. She turns around and lets out a gasp.

"Danny!" She says as she hugs him. "Oh my God, what are you doing here?"

"I was invited." The man- Danny, says.

"It's really good to see you." A.J says.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Oh, of course." she says, turning to us."Danny, this is my new team, Agents Kensi Blye, G. Callen, and Sam Hanna, and Nate Getz, my partner. Intelligence Analyst Nell Jones, Technical Operator Eric Beale, and these two are Agents Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Anthony Dinozzo, from the D.C office. Everyone, this is Agent Daniel Connors, DEA. My brother."

Everyone shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

"A.J, how many of your siblings are federal agents?" Sam asks.

"4 out of 6 of us." She answers.

"Okay, so we know your sister, Lucy, is, and now your brother Danny, who's the other?"

"Our brother, Adam. He's NSA." Danny says.

"What about your other two siblings?" I ask.

"Mara, she's a doctor in Seattle, and Ryan's and architect, here in LA." A.J answers.

We all nod.

"So, sis, how about that dance?" Danny asks A.J.

"Lead the way." She says with a smile.

"As I watch Danny spin his sister around the dance floor, Sam whispers to me, "Just ask her to dance, already."

_Maybe I will._

10 minutes later, I see A.J head out to a balcony to get some air. I decide to follow her.

"Hey." I say, coming up behind her.

"Oh, hey Callen."

"Having fun?"

"I'm all danced out. I've danced with what seems like everybody in the hall." She says with a smile.

"Not everybody." I say. "One last dance?"

"With you?" she pauses. "Okay."

We dance for what was mere minutes, but it seemed like seconds. She was so close to me, _again. _It's the second time we have danced in as many weeks, and it feels right.

When the song ends, I feel the sudden urge to pull her closer, but I resist.

The band announces that this next song will be the last, and A.J. and I make our way over to Sam and the rest of the team.

A.J is talking to Nell and Kensi, and Sam leans over and whispers to me once again, "Go for it."

_And I think I might._

**Another Chapter finished :) Next chapter will be Densi, all Densi. I pinky-swear. In fact, I promise to have it up by tomorrow morning at the latest.**

**Please R&R!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note- Densi chapter time!**

**I'm going home from holidays on Friday night, so updates will become more frequent by Sunday, and then I'm back to school Wednesday. I'll probably have at least 1 update a day from then on. :) **

**I don't own NCIS or any of its characters, all mistakes are mine. **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 14.

Kensi's POV.

My feet are hurting, I'm tired, and my muscles are aching all over. Thank God the night's almost over. The night wasn't at all bad, I got to spend some time with my friends outside of work, I got to dance with many handsome sailors, government officials, but, when I was dancing, I could only think of one person- Martin A. Deeks. Tonight he looks very suave in his tuxedo, and I can barely take my eyes or my mind off of him.

When he asked me to dance, my pulse started racing. Those blue eyes staring down at my mismatched ones make it hard to refuse. He is an amazing dancer. _I'll make fun of him later. _

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, the night is over, and I hope you had a wonderful evening." Hetty said. "You may make your own way home, and I expect your suits and dresses back in wardrobe first thing Monday morning."

"Why not tomorrow Hetty?" Callen asks.

"You have tomorrow and the weekend off. Go do something fun for yourselves! I'll see you all Monday."

"Thanks, Hetty." We all say in unison, as she walks away.

"Well Gibbs, Dinozzo, when are you heading back to D.C?" A.J asks.

"Our flights' in two hours. At least these are our own suits." Dinozzo says. "I guess we better get going, huh boss?"

"Yeah, Dinozzo. It was a pleasure working with you guys again." Gibbs says.

Handshakes and goodbyes were exchanged and the two men left to catch their flight.

"So, Fern, wanna split a cab?" Deeks asks me.

"My car's still at Ops. I was going to swing by and pick it up." I answer.

"Great, then I'll come with you. You can drop me home." _Did he just wink at me? No. Did he though?_

"Fine. Let's go then. Bye guys." I say.

"Bye Kenz, Deeks." Everyone says.

Outside, Deeks calls a cab. We both get into the car and I give the driver the address. The NCIS parking garage is located half a mile away from the Ops centre, for security reasons. And I tell the driver an address which is another quarter mile from the parking garage.

"You danced a lot tonight, Fern. You must be tired." Deeks says when we arrive at my car. "Here, let me drive." I am already opening the drivers side door. I finish unlocking the door and turn around to answer him.

"No, Deeks. No way in hell-" My voice was cut short when he planted his lips on mine. I'm stunned for a moment, unable to move. When he pulls away, his arms are up against the car, pinning me to the side of the vehicle.

He sees the shocked look on my face and his arms drop to his sides.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" This time, it's his voice that is cut off. I kiss him. And he kisses me back with such passion that I think I might keel over.

After several minutes, he pulls back, and rests his forehead against mine, our noses touching.

"Deeks, I-" I begin.

"No, Fern, don't say anything. Don't say anything." He says.

"I was gonna say, you still want me to drop you home?"

He smiles that crooked, mischievous smile and says, "I'll drive."

"No, you won't. My car."

He looks down to my dress. "No offense, Kenz, but your driving is insane at best, on a normal day. There is no way you can drive in that."

I decide he's right. "Okay. But if you hurt my car-"

"I know, I know. You'll go all ninja-assassin on me."

I smile, and he leans over to kiss me. I stop him.

"If you kiss me now, we'll never leave this car."

"Right."

"Patience, Deeks."

We talk all the way back. Our witty banter and arguements about which is better; Lucky Charms or Coco Pops.

"Lucky Charms are obviously better, Deeks." I say.

"No way! Coco Pops are the best."

"No, they aren't."

"Yes, they are."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

That went on for 10 minutes, and only stopped when Deeks pulled the car into his driveway.

"You want a beer, Fern?"

"I think I want more than a beer, Shaggy." I say.

He smiles. "Well, come on then, we don't have all weekend."

"Yes, we do, Deeks." I say, getting out of the car.

"Great, cos it might take us all night to just get you outta that dress." He says, still smiling.

"You'd be surprised."

"Really? About what?"

"You'll find out."

He takes one step closer to me.

"You gonna kiss me, or what?"

He smiles, and leans down to kiss me. I took my heels off in the car, so now he's taller than me. He pulls away from the kiss, and fumbles with his keys.

When the door finally unlocks, I barely get a glimpse of his place before he sweeps me off my feet. Literally.

_**The next morning.**_

I awake to the sound of my phone ringing. _Please don't let it be a case, please don't let it be a case._

It's not Ops, but it is Nell.

"Hullo?" I say in a voice heavy with sleep.

"Did I wake you? Sorry." Nell says through the phone as I check the clock. _10:46. _

"Yeah, you woke me. What's up?" I look over to the other side of the bed. _Empty._

As my brain wakes up, I catch a smell of cooking wafting into the room. I throw on Deeks' t-shirt that was draped over the back of a chair in his room. It has the words Los Angeles Police Dept. on the front.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to meet for coffee later." Nell says through the phone. "But if you're busy..."

"No, I'm not busy, I'll meet you at The Coffee Bean in an hour."

"Sounds great, see you then."

I say a goodbye, and hang up the phone.

"Something smells good." I say to Deeks.

"Yeah. Me."

I give a laugh. I wrap my arms around him, and place a light kiss on the back of his neck. "What's cooking?"

"Breakfast. Pancakes."

"Oooh, they ready yet?"

"Just about."

"Hey, I gotta meet Nell for coffee in an hour, so breakfast will have to be quick." I say.

"Okay. Want me to drive you?"

"My car's outside, Deeks. Plus, I gotta drop that dress off at the dry cleaners or Hetty will have my head on Monday."

"Is that the only reason?"

I sigh. "It's not that I don't wanna be seen with you, its just-"

"You want to figure out what we are first. Here's your pancakes."

I take the plate of delicious looking pancakes. "Thanks. I hope you're not mad at me."

"I'm not Kenz." He says placing his hands on my shoulders. "I like you. I really do. I like you more than I've ever liked anyone before. It's just gonna be hard, with our jobs and all. We're partners, and if our emotions get in the way of an investigation, or if-" He stops short of finishing his sentence.

"If what?" I ask.

"If you get hurt. I wouldn't be able to live if something happened to you."

"Deeks, we put our lives on the line to protect our country. It's what we have to do." I stop. "It just means that we have to work harder to make this work. And I want it to work."

"I do too, Fern."

"So, this is- what exactly?"

"I guess, we could try dating, and if it works-"

"Then we tell the team." I say, finishing his sentence.

"Exactly." He says, starting his pancake.

5 minutes later, we finish our breakfast.

"I'm gonna go get dressed. The coffee shop where I'm meeting Nell is all the way across town, and I have to drop the dress off at the dry cleaners." I tell Deeks.

"What are you gonna wear?" he asks. "You can hardly go all the way across town in my t-shirt."

I hold up a bag. "I keep spare clothes in my car. Just in case."

He smiles. "Well, you better get going then."

I quickly change, and go out to my car. Deeks runs out after me.

"Hey, Kenz?" He shouts.

"Hmm?" I say looking at him.

"If we're doing this whole 'dating' thing, let me take you out to dinner tomorrow night."

"Yeah, sounds great. Call me?" I say.

"Definitely." He says with a smile.

**So there is the Densi chapter, I hope you liked it!**

**Please R&R!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note- Hope you guys like this chapter! Please leave a review!**

Chapter 15

Nell.

"Hey, Nell." Kensi says as she walks up to me.

"Hey Kenz." I say back, as she takes a seat opposite to mine.

"Would you like some coffee, ladies?" The extremely cute waiter asked.

"Black coffee, two sugars." Kensi ordered confidently, as if she didn't notice the man's exceedingly good looks.

"Tea for me, please." I ask politely.

He nods and walks away.

"He was cute, wasn't he?" I admit.

Kensi just looks at me with a shocked look.

"What? I'm in a relationship, not dead." I laugh, and she giggles too.

"So, what's up, Nell?"

"Nothing." I shrug.

"Nell, come on. The last time you asked me to meet you here for coffee, it was in the aftermath of Eric's 'frelting' and you were about to break down in tears in front of the whole café. So spill."

"It's nothing."

"You wouldn't have asked me here if it was nothing."

I give her a guilty look. "Okay, it's just that, well, Eric asked me to move in with him, and I don't know if that's what I want. I love him and all, but I fear this is moving too fast. We've only been dating for seven months. Although, it would be more cost-efficient, and I practically live at his place, anyways, and his place is bigger than mine, and it's right on the beach, and-" I stop, realising I've said that all in one breath.

"Nell, slow down. Take a breath." Kensi laughs.

I sigh, feeling the coffee-smelling air rush into my lungs.

"But what should I do, Kenz?"

"Nell, if I was you, I would ask myself this. Do I love him?"

"I do. I love him. More than anyone or anything." I admit, as our drinks arrive, brought by a different waiter.

"Then my choice would be made." Kensi says.

I nod, sipping my tea. My eyes focus on a napkin, where, written in permanent marker, was a note.

_Dear black coffee, two sugars. _

_555-0123._

_Call me sometime._

_-The Waiter._

"Kenz, look." I instructed, pushing the napkin-note over to her.

As she reads it, a smile stretches across her face.

"Looks like you have an admirer." I say, my gaze floating across the room to the waiter.

"Looks like I do." She says, pushing the note away.

"You gonna call him?" I ask.

"Maybe."

"You should, Kenz. Look at him. He's an Adonis."

She looks over at him, and her expression stays the same.

"He's not that great." She claims.

"Kenz, come on. If I wasn't with Eric I would eat him up." I pause, realising something.

"But I'm with Eric, so I wouldn't. And if you won't..." I trail off. "Kensi Marie Blye, are you perhaps dating someone?" I ask.

That gets her attention. Her head snaps to the side, so her eyes meet my questioning gaze.

She scoffs. "No! I don't 'date'."

"You'd think that a federal agent would be a better liar." I note.

"I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are. Who's the lucky guy?" I ask.

She gives in. "Okay, so there is a guy, but I'm not telling you his name until we figure out if it's going anywhere."

"I knew it!" I exclaim. "Where'd you meet? What does he work as? Do I know him?" I babble like a teenage girl.

"I'm not telling you anything."

"But Whyyyyy?" I complain.

"Cos we agreed not to tell anyone."

"So I _do_ know him!" I guess.

"I never said that." Kensi says, scolding me.

"You never didn't say that."

"You know what? I'll tell you. On one condition."

"And that is?" I ask exitedly.

"You can't tell anyone. Not even Eric, until I have a chance to tell them."

"Okay. I pinky-swear not to tell anyone." I say, holding up my right pinkie.

"Okay." She paused, and sighed. "It's Deeks."

"DEEKS?!" I scream. "I KNEW IT!"

"Nell, shut up or the whole city will hear."

"Omigosh! Sorry, but this is so exciting! You and Deeks, and me and Eric." My smile has extended to cover half my face. "How long have you two been dating?"

"Umm...well, let's see." She acted like she was doing math in her head, and said, "Well, officially, an hour and fifteen minutes."

I don't say anything. I just look at her. "Well, how long unofficially?" I ask.

"Umm, about 12 hours..." She trails off.

"So this happened last night? After the ball? I swear to God, half the people in that room got laid last night." I say.

"You included?" Kensi asks with a knowing look.

"Myself included." I can't help but smile at the thought of last night.

"Not me." A familiar voice sounds from behind us.

"A.J.! Hi!" I exclaim, still reeling from how happy I am for Kensi and Deeks.

"Hey Nell, Kensi." She sits down beside us and puts a paper cup in the table. "How did you two get on to that topic?"

"Oh, you know, just blathering on about the ball." Kensi says, exchanging a look with me that says; _mention Marty Deeks, and you'll suffer the concequences._

"What do you mean you never went home with anyone?" I ask. "I saw half the sailors in the room slip you their numbers."

"I had something else on my mind." A.J. says.

"Something? Or someone?" Kensi questions.

A.J gave a laugh. "Nothing you need to know about."

"Oh, come on, A.J. There must have been _someone _else on your mind, for you not to go home with one of those sailors."

She gave another laugh. "It's nothing, Kenz."

Kensi looked taken aback. It was the first time A.J. had called her Kenz. Kensi smiled.

"You know what?" I say. "I bet it's that Agent Dinozzo. He _did _display an interest in her." I learned enough interrogation techniques to know to go right to the source.

"It's certainly not Agent Dinozzo." A.J says.

"Then she must have a boyfriend outside of NCIS, don't you think, Nell?" Kensi asks me.

I laugh. "A.J. We're not trying to interrogate you. We're your friends. You can tell us anything."

Now it was A.J who looked taken aback. "Friends?"

"Yeah. We're friends, right?"

She nodded. "Okay, I'll tell you. I don't have a boyfriend outside of work, I just have a petty little crush. It's nothing, really."

"A crush? Do tell, Ms. Connors." Kensi says all Hetty-like.

"That's all you need to know, for know."

"Okay."

"So, what about you Kensi? Got someone special around?"

Kensi looked at me with a weird look.

"Maybe." Kensi says.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine." A.J says.

"Thanks, A.J."

"So what are you doing at this coffee shop?" A.J asks.

"This is our usual coffee spot." I answer.

"Really? This is my regular coffee spot, I live two blocks down the street."

Kensi looked surprised, as at the moment, they were in Venice.

"You look surprised, Kensi." A.J observed.

"I'm sorry, I never thought that you would live so close to the ocean."

"I'm a swimmer. Have been since I was a kid. I like the ocean, it's so peaceful. Helps me to sleep."

I can't help but wonder why she wouldn't be able to sleep.

As she finished off her drink, she says, "Sorry, guys, gotta run. I'll see you two Monday." She waved as she left.

"Who do you think she has a crush on?" Kensi asks.

"It's probably someone we know, or she would have told us." I say.

"At work? It has to be." Kensi pauses to think. "So, who?"

"My money's on Nate. They're quite alike, educated, challenging." I say.

"Nah, I think its Callen. Have you seen the way she looks at him? The way he smiles when she smiles? Last night, Callen couldn't take his eyes off her. I think they've got it bad for each other." Kensi speculates.

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see then, don't we?" I ask.

"I guess we do."


	16. Chapter 16

**Authors' Note- I want to thank you all for your reviews :) It really keeps me going :) Keep reviewing!**

**-Enjoy!**

Chapter 16

A.J.

Friends. They just said they're my friends. I've only known Kensi and Nell for two weeks, but I can honestly say I trust them both. I have to. But not with everything. The only reason I didn't tell them about my 'crush', is that I'm afraid they'll find out its much more than some passing feelings.

I pull into my driveway, shut down the ignition on my SRX, and get out of the car. All I want now is a hot bath, pizza and beer.

I unlock my door and step inside, place my keys in the same crystal bowl I've had since I moved out of my family home, which is placed in front of a picture of Lucy, Mara and I as kids.

I step into the bathroom to run my bath when my phone rings. I let it go past two rings before I pick it up.

"Connors." I answer.

"Ms. Ava Joy Connors?" The female voice at the other end of the phone asks.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"My name is Rebecca Matthews, I'm calling on behalf of a prison inmate, Michael Sanders."

I freeze at the name said through the phone.

"M-Michael Sanders?" I stammer.

"Yes. His file says to contact you if there is any new developments in his stay here."

"That's correct."

"Well, I would like to inform you that he is being released on good behaviour in one week. He wants you to be there to pick him up." Ms. Matthews says.

"What day exactly?" I ask.

"The 7th of September." She answers. "A Friday."

"I'm sorry, but I have a job I cannot leave."

"Yes, it says here you're a criminalist in the LAPD crime lab." She says. "I completly understand. I'll tell him you can't be there."

"Yes, I-I'm terribly sorry. Goodbye."

"Goodnight, Ms. Connors."

I hang up the phone, and I find myself weak at the knees.

_He can't be getting out. Not now, not when I __**finally**__ have my life on track again. _

I pick up the phone again and dial a Virginia number.

"Hello?" Lucy says.

"Luce, It's A.J. I need your help. He's getting out."

"What? A.J, who's getting out?"

"Michael."

"Oh. But he's not meant to be getting out for two more years."

"I know. He's getting out on 'good behaviour'. There's nothing good about that man."

"Do you want me to come down there? I have vacation weeks accumulated, I could use all of them." She offers.

"No, Luce, it's fine. I have my team..." I trail off, thinking of an idea.

"You're right A.J. Call your team. I'll be on the first flight out of here if you need me. I _will not _let this guy hurt you again. I won't."

"I know you won't, Luce. I gotta go. Love you."

"Love you too. Stay safe."

When I hang up the phone, there's a knock on the door. I instictivley grab my gun. I look through the peephole and see its only the pizza guy. I undo my two deadbolts, and slide the chain out of the lock.

"Pizza for Lisa Day?" The pizza boy says. First lesson of FBI training; never use your real name.

"That's me. How much?" I ask, taking the pizza from his hands.

"14.95." He says.

I hand him 20 bucks and say, "Keep the change. Thanks."

"No, thank you."

Normally I would smile seeing a college kid being so happy when I tip them, but tonight was not a night for being happy.

I put the pizza on the table, and I get into my bath. I don't move at all while I sit there.

_Well, so much for relaxing._

I get out of the bath, throw my FBI jumper over my head, and pull on plaid pyjama bottoms. I grab the box of pepperoni pizza, beer from the fridge, and sit down on my couch. My phone is laying beside me.

_Will he mind?_

Desperate times call for desperate measures, I think.

I dial a number on my cell. It picks up after two rings.

"Hello?"

"Nate? Can you come over to my place? I need your help."


	17. Chapter 17

**Authors' Note- I'll probably do a few more chapters, and then maybe a sequel or two...**

**Anyhoo, Enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 17.

Nate.

I knock on her door. I spent the whole drive over here thinking of what the most bad-ass woman alive could need my help with.

_I'm sure it's nothing, maybe an old case?_

She opens the door, and I see her standing in the glow of her apartment lights in an FBI jumper, and plaid pyjama bottoms. Only she could make a over-sized jumper and bedclothes look sexy.

"Come in, come in." She says as she ushers me inside. I see that she has her Glock in hand- definitely not her service weapon.

She quickly fastens her deadbolts and chain-lock, and turns around to face me. Her hair is half dry, as if she got out of the shower just before she called me.

"What's going on, A.J.?" I ask.

She sighs and places her weapon on the side table beside her couch.

"I need your help, and I didn't know who else to call." She says, and only then do I notice the smudged mascara and reddened complexion. She'd been crying.

I instinctively take a step towards her, and place my hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

"No. No, I'm not."

"What can I do?"

"I need to talk to someone. I thought of you because you're my partner, and a psychologist. Maybe you can help me with this."

"I'm here to listen, partner."

She looked up at me. Her head had to go all the way back to be able to see my face. Her sad eyes meet mine, and I see the faintest hint of a smile.

"Sit. I have to tell you the story from the beginning."

Wondering what she meant, I sit down on her red fabric couch, my back resting against a black blanket.

"Okay," she paused and took a deep breath, "I've never told anyone outside my family this, it's personal. But I trust that this'll stay between us?"

"Of course." I say. "Take your time."

She took another cleansing breath, as if she was bracing herself for what's to come.

"When I was twenty-eight, I was just finishing college, and I was preparing to move from Boston to Virginia. At the time, I was dating this guy, Michael. He'd agreed to move with me to D.C, and we had found a lovely apartment just outside of the city. Three weeks after moving, I found out I was pregnant."

She pauses, appearing to fight back tears.

"When I told Michael, he'd been over the moon, and so had I. We had been dating for almost 10 years, and we had talked about getting married and having a family a while before that."

She smiles slightly, reminising of a happier time.

"We couldn't have been more in love. The minute I told him I was pregnant, he got down on one knee and proposed. He said he would take me out the next day and buy me the biggest diamond ring we could find."

She slowly sits up straighter.

"We spent the next five months happily engaged and pregnant. We kept arguing about baby names and cribs..." She trailed off.

"One night, I woke to sharp abdominal pains. Michael rushed me to the hospital, but our baby..."

She couldn't fight the tears anymore, and she just let them fall. At a loss of what to do, I shuffled closer to her, and put my arm around her.

"It's okay, A.J. You don't have to tell me."

I inhale her fresh scent, like citrus and the ocean.

"B-But I do." She says through sobs.

She regained her composure and continued the story.

"After I miscarried, Michael started drinking. A lot. He'd come home drunk and scream at me and push me around. He'd tell me that is was my fault for losing his kid."

She paused.

"One night, he came back from the bar and found me packing a bag. He asked me what I was doing and I said I was leaving. I was going to see my sister for the weekend. He said he didn't believe me. He thought I was leaving him. We fought, but he was much stronger than I was and..." She trailed off.

"He shot me. I don't know how he got my gun, but he shot me. Right here." She placed her hand just to the right of her heart.

"The bullet missed my heart by millimeters, but breached my pericardium. My neighbours heard the shots, and the paramedics took me away."

She stopped and wiped her eyes, still wet from tears.

"I woke days later in a hospital, with Lucy and my mother by my side. The doctor said I was lucky to be alive. I didn't return to the FBI until 6 years later, and by then Michael was in prison, and I was getting on with my life."

"Why bring this all up now?" I ask.

"I got a call today. He's being let out on good behaviour in two weeks. Nate, he's the reason I took this job. He kept calling me saying he wished he aimed for my head."

Her head fell into her hands.

"I loved him, Nate. But now...I'm afraid he'll kill me and everyone I love. My friends. My family. My team."

She looks up at me.

"I don't know how to deal with him. I have a restraining order against him. But that's not gonna stop him for long. I don't want anyone to die all because I couldn't keep a baby alive."

"Hey, It's not your fault. You didn't kill your baby. You didn't mean for it to die."

"But-"

"No buts. It's. Not. Your. Fault."

She looks up at me. Her eyes are captivating. Her skin is so pale. Her lips are so red.

Her expression is calm and serene. Beautiful.

"Thanks for listening, partner." She says, not moving her gaze from mine.

With every passing silent second, our faces get closer and closer together. Our lips are millimeters apart when the doorbell rings.

Her head snaps around to the door. Her finger presses to her lips as she leaps across the room. She grabs her weapon, and instantly it becomes an extention of her body. Her side presses up against the door as she looks through the peephole.

She lowers her weapon, unlocks the deadbolt, and opens the door. On the other side was none other than Henrietta Lange.

"Hetty?" A.J asks. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a phonecall from your sister not long ago, Ms. Connors. She informed me that Michael Sanders is being released from prison. I came by to check if you were all right." She pauses, her gaze shifting to me. "I was going to suggest you talk to Mr. Getz, but I see you have beat me to the punch. Good evening, Mr. Getz."

"Evening, Hetty." I say, trying to disguise my surprise that I had almost kissed my partner.

"I'm fine now I've talked to Nate. Thanks for checking up on me, Hetty, but you didn't have to come all the way across town to see me."

"Nonsense! I was in the neighbourhood." She says.

A.J nods in acknowledgement.

"Since I see you're doing fine, I'll be on my way. Good night, and I'll see you two Monday." Hetty waves as she turns out onto the street, and climbs into her Jag.

A.J closes the door and slowly locks the door. She runs a hand through her now-dry hair, and sits beside me on the couch.

"Well, um..." I begin.

She laughs and says, "Um... What almost happened?"

"I think we almost kissed." I say back, followed by a laugh.

"Yeah..." She laughs awkwardly. "That was...um..."

"We should never speak of this again."

"Exactly."

"Unless..." I say sarcastically. _Or not._

She punches me in the arm. "Nate!" She says playfully.

"What?!" I laugh. "A guy can dream, can't he?"

She smiles a real, genuine smile. And then a soft laugh.

"We're partners."

"Partners."

"Yeah."

"Well...I guess I better go, call me if you need me."

"Yeah, thanks, Nate. I really needed you tonight."

"Anytime."

_Even if the night is exactly like this one, I would take it, because almost kissing you, is as close to you as I need to get._


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note- Hope you guys liked the last chapter! **

**Who do you think A.J. will end up with? Leave your comments and help me choose whether she will end up with Nate or Callen. :) **

**-Enjoy the next chapter inthe mean time :)**

Chapter 18.

Monday Morning- Callen.

"Mornin' everybody." Deeks says with a southern drawl as he walks into the bullpen.

"Someone had a good weekend." Sam says, smiling.

"Care to share, Deeks?" I ask.

"Nope." He says, still grinning ear-to-ear. "Where's Kensi?"

"Not in yet." Nate says.

"Yes, I am." A sleepy voice says from the couch.

"Kensi? What are you doing sleeping here?" I ask.

"My apartment complex is being fumigated for termites. I had nowhere else to go." She answers, rubbing her eyes and stretching.

"You could have called me, Princess. I would have let you stay on the couch at my place." Deeks says.

Sam and I exchange curious looks.

"I didn't want to burden you, Deeks. Plus, there was no way I was going to wake up to Monty licking my face again."

_Again? _That was the question that passed through our minds.

"I'm going to the gym. Care to join, Shaggy?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

As they walk away, Sam said, "Do you think there's something going on between them two?"

"I'd rather not think about what Deeks and Kensi do in their spare time." I say.

A.J comes walking in. While I expect her to look perfect as usual, she doesn't.

Her skin is dull, not the bright porcelain that it usually is.

Her eyes are drooping, and she has dark circles underneath them.

Her nose is red.

She's not wearing her usual fashionable clothes, but a baggy white t-shirt, a grey jacket, jeans and her usual black Converse. She looks tired and sick.

"A.J.? Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She answers with a note of hostility in her voice.

"You just..." I stop when I realise its not my place to comment on how she looks. "Nevermind." 

* * *

The day comes and goes without a case.

The week stays the same, with Kensi and Deeks flirting, us completing paperwork, and A.J looking terrible. With each passing day, I get increasingly worried about her.

Friday once again rolls around and ends, and with no new cases, everyone heads home for the weekend. Except for A.J and I.

At 8pm, we are the only ones left in the bullpen. Sam went home to Michelle and the kids, Kensi gave Deeks a ride home, Eric and Nell left an hour ago to go to dinner with Eric's parents, Nate left in his car a half hour ago, and God knows where Hetty is.

The next decision I make may be risky, but I'll make it.

"A.J.?" I say, approaching her desk. "You want to talk about what's bothering you?"

"Not particularly, Callen." She says.

I pause and think of how this next move would play out. I decide for it.

"Okay, if you don't want to talk about it, maybe you'll settle for pizza and a beer instead?" I suggest.

She looks up at me, and I wonder if it was a wrong move. That is, until she says, "Actually, that sounds really nice. I just gotta finish up this expense report. I'll meet you in the parking lot in 20?"

Her voice was a lot more content than I had heard in recent days.

_Maybe it's me. But it's probably the pizza._


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks for reading! Enjoy the next chapter! :)**

Chapter 19.

A.J.

It's happening. I am sitting in G. Callen's Jag, on our way to my place with pizza and beer in the back.

It's sweet that he's worried about me. I know I haven't dressed in the most presentable way in the last week, and I don't look any better right now. My hair is greasy, I look tired, I've been wearing the same jumper all week.

Ever since I told Nate about Michael, I find myself getting closer to him. That almost-there kiss...

This week I find myself torn between Callen and Nate. I have this on-going debate in my head of which guy is better. I'm keeping it to myself, though. I thought about asking Lucy, but that girl has such a huge mouth she won't last the day without telling either one of them.

Callen looks extremely sexy today. A midnight-blue button-down, and black jeans. Only a guy like him could pull off something as simple as that.

We pull into my driveway, and we exit the car. Me carrying the pizza, and Callen carrying the six pack of beer.

I fumble for my keys in my bag. I find them, and because it was dark, I could barely see which key was which, and it took another (embarrassing) minute to unlock the door.

I place my keys where I always do, and throw my bag on the couch.

"Sit, I'll put the beer in the fridge." I say to Callen, taking the beer and putting it in the fridge, and taking out my two remaining cold ones. I return to find Callen sitting in the exact same spot Nate was when we...

"Here." I say, handing the beer to him.

He pops the lid on it. "Nice place."

"Yeah, I quite like it." I say, sitting down beside him.

"It has a lot more furniture than my place." He says with a laugh.

"Yeah, Nell told me you don't like furniture."

"It's not that I don't like furniture, It's just-"

"I get it. You like to move around." I say with a laugh.

"Nell told you about all my different houses."

"No, actually, Sam did. It was my first week here, when I was partnered up with you, and you were gone to get coffee. Sam told me not to worry, that you'll warm up to me, you just don't trust people right off the bat because you grew up in so many different places, and learned not to trust anyone." I explain, almost sympathetically.

He smirks, but stays silent.

"Look," I say, "I can't pretend to understand what it was like living in so many different homes. Hell, the first time I moved houses was when I moved to California the first time, to go to college. But, I want you to know that you can trust me, because I know what its like to lose someone, Lord knows I've lost more than one important person in my life. I've never lost a team member though, mainly because I wouldn't be able to live if I lost someone on my team."

He looks at me with a questioning look, as if trying to figure out what I mean by 'I lost more than one person'.

"I do trust you, A.J. Not just because I have to when we're in the field, but because I really, genuinely trust you. I've never found it this easy to trust someone in my life, not even Sam. Not even Hetty." He says.

I take a sip of my beer. "I trust you too, G. I just..." I trail off.

"You don't want to tell me what's going on with you. I get it."

"It's not that, I want to tell you, but I'm afraid you'll look at me differently if I do tell you."

"A.J.," he says turning to me, and placing his hands on my shoulders, a comforting gesture, the same one Nate showed in this very spot, less than a week ago, "I could never see you any other way than I do now, exept maybe if I saw you as even more bad-ass than before."

That comment solicits a small chuckle from me.

"So you can tell me. I would never tell anyone else, unless you say so." He says, his bright blue eyes looking into my green ones.

I take a deep breath, and say, "Okay, I'll tell you." And I repeated the same story that I had told Nate.

"A.J...I am so sorry." He says, sympathetically.

"He always said that it was my fault- My fault for losing his kid. That's what he always called him. _His_ kid. Not our kid. His."

I hang my head. "I know it wasn't my fault, but for years, I believed him. I still believed him after he went to prison. He kept calling me and calling me, saying as soon as he got out, he would kill me and everyone I love. And now he's getting out and..." I stop, thinking of the consequences. "I don't want to lose my family, my friends. My team."

"We can put your family in protective custody." He suggests.

"Under what grounds? Until he hurts someone, my whole family and my friends are at risk."

"He hurt you." He says bluntly.

"And served his time. Nothing will stop this monster, G. Nothing."

My phone rings. Its OPS.

"Connors." I say.

"We've got a case. Hetty wants you in OPS ASAP." Eric says through the phone.

"I'll be right there." I hang up the phone.

"Case?" Callen asks.

I nod, and sure enough, a few nanoseconds later, his phone rings.

"Callen." He says."Yeah, Nell, I'll be right there."

"Let's go." I say.

"What will people think when we show up in the same car?"

"That we went out to get beers, which we did." I say matter-of-factly.

He nods, and we make our way to the car.

"So much for that pizza." I say.

He smiles, and we drive down the street towards OPS.

At OPS.

"This is Naval Intelligence Officer Rachael Matthews." Eric says as Callen and I, the last members of our team to arrive, enter.

He pulls a picture of her up onscreen. I freeze, taking in a sharp breath. Not because this death photo was a gruesome one to look at, I've seen far worse, but because of the face on the screen.

"A.J., you okay?" Nate asks, noticing my shock.

I stay still.

"A.J.?" Nate asks again.

"I-I know her." I stammer.

All the eyes in the room turn to me.

"We went to college here, in U.C. She lived across the hall from me. We...we were friends." I say, the remanants of my shock still noticable.

"Oh, A.J., I'm so sorry." Kensi says to me.

I nod and say, "I haven't talked to her in years. Not since I moved to Boston." I pause. "Eric, where was she shot?"

"Just right of her heart. M.E says she was alive for about 15 minutes prior to death."

"The same place I was shot." I half-whisper.

Only Callen and Nate know what I'm talking about.


	20. Chapter 20

**Authors' Note- Going back to school tomorrow...I think I'm suffering from post-summer depression...But anyway, enjoy this chapter! The next few chapters will be told from A.J's, Callen's or Nate's POV. Thanks for reading!**

Chapter 20.

Callen.

"The same place I was shot." A.J whispers, a look of despair painting her face.

"What?" Deeks asks.

"I was shot in exactly the same place. On this date, eight years ago." She pauses. "Where was her body found, Nell?"

"Uh...Her neighbour passed her door early this morning, found it unlocked, decided to take a look inside. Her body was lying in a pool of blood on the living room floor." Nell explained.

"I was shot in my apartment, and left to bleed out on my apartment floor." She looked desperately and me, and then Nate. The only two people who knew what she was talking about- bar Hetty, who always knew everything.

"Does someone want to tell us what you're talking about?" Deeks asks worriedly as Hetty Lange entered the room.

"Ms. Connors, I would advise you to tell the rest of your team, for their safety." Hetty addresses A.J.

"Yes, Hetty." She says obediently.

It was the second time she'd told the story tonight, the second time I'd heard it. Everyone in the room, at the end of the story, was in a shocked silence until A.J. says, "I believe Michael Sanders is the man responsible for Rachael's death." She took a deep breath, and said, "During his stay in prison, he repeatedly called me to say he was going to kill everyone I love. Which means I need my family put in protective custody." She turned to Hetty.

"Your sisters and your mother are already on their way. Daniel and Adam have just landed, and Ryan is in the boatshed." Hetty says, answering her rhetorical question.

"I have to go see Ryan. He has to know what's going on." A.J says.

"I'll come with you." says Nate.

"Thanks, partner."

And so they left. A part of me is worrying for A.J's safety. Another part of me is worrying for my teams'.

* * *

Nate.

She is silent the whole car ride over, her eyes focused out the window. I am not sure whether to say something or not, wondering if she wants my comfort or not. For once, Nate Getz, the Operational Psychologist who has worked with every government agency, who can read the mind of any killer, is at a loss of what to do. Why does A.J Connors have to be so damn hard to read?

As we pull the car into the boatshed parking lot, we see a car marked with Government license plates parked outside. A.J's hand rests on her weapon, as if she sees a threat that I don't.

_Maybe it's just paranoia._

As we enter the large 'conference room', we come face to face with two bulky men blocking our doorway.

"ID's please." The first man, with a lot softer voice than I expected, demanded.

A.J is the first to present her ID.

"A.J Connors, that's my brother Ryan. And this is Nate Getz, my partner." She says as I hold up my ID.

"Go right ahead." The second man, with a voice deeper than the first, said, waving us on.

A.J greeted her brother with open arms. As they embraced, her brother, Ryan, asked, "A.J., what the hell is going on? Why was I pulled from a meeting with an important client by two FBI agents?"

"It's for your own safety. That's all I can tell you until the others get here. They should arrive within the hour." A.J replies, as her brother, who looks absolutely nothing like the other two siblings I am acquainted with, looks over her shoulder to look at me.

"Ry, this is Nate Getz, my partner." She introduces me.

"Your _partner?_" He asks. "I thought that you never went to the FBI after..." He trails off.

"It's okay Ry, he knows about everything. And I did go back to the FBI, I just didn't tell you, Mara or mom."

"Why did Danny, Lucy and Adam get to know?" He asks.

"You know well why, Ry." She pauses, observing his guilty look. "And I left the FBI a few weeks ago. I'm NCIS now."

"Navy?" He asks disbelievingly. "You're a Navy cop?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"You always were a daddy's girl, A.J. Wanted to be a Marine, just like her daddy, this one."

I raise an eyebrow. "Okay, now your family history is really starting to sound like Kensi's." I laugh, and so does she.

A few seconds later, two more men enter the group, presumably Danny- whom I know from the ball last week, and Adam, who looks nothing like Danny and A.J, but more like Ryan. Same pale skin, but different facial structure. The two other men also have brown eyes, not green, presumably inherited from their father.

A.J repeats the explanation for both men, and 20 minutes later, a redheaded beauty that has the same facial structure as Ryan and Adam, walks in, along with an older, greying woman with slightly red hair.

"Mara." A.J says, hugging her sister. "Mom." She says, her voice shaking.

"Ava, honey, what the hell is going on?" Her mother says.

"I'll tell you everything once Lucy arrives."

"A.J. I had to leave a man dying in the ER because you had two freakin' feds drag me all the way to LA. I demand to know what's going on." Mara asks.

"That's what I'd like to know, too." Another woman says as she walks into the room. Same red hair as her mother and sister, but the same face as A.J. They could have been twins.

"Lucy!" Adam says. "Finally. Now you two can tell us what the hell is going on." He looks to A.J and I.

"This is about your safety. You guys are staying here until this whole thing blows over, understood?" A.J says, taking charge as she usually does.

"What?!" Mara exclaims. "No way! I have an ER to run."

"A.J. You know we all have jobs we can't leave. Well, most of us." Danny says, looking to Ryan.

"Architecture is important! It's not like I have to follow suit and become a fed." Ryan argues.

Danny opens his mouth to say something but A.J cuts him off. "This is no time for fighting. I mean it." She sighs and picks up the TV screen remote. A photo of Rachael Matthews pops up on screen, her DMV photo.

"You guys remember Rachael, right?" A.J asks.

"Yeah, your old college friend. I heard she's Navy Intel now." Danny says.

"Was." A.J says shyly, pulling up the crime scene photos. "She was killed in her living room, this morning, shot above the heart, and left to bleed out."

"Shit." Says Lucy. "It's him, isn't it?"

"He got out yesterday. While he was incarcerated, he called me to say he was going to kill everyone I love. My friends. My family." She takes a deep breath. "Which is why you're all here. I can't risk him getting to you guys."

His name was never mentioned, but the look that displayed across the faces of the Connors' family showed that they all knew who she meant.

_And he's coming for them._


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note- I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in, like, a week, but I have school and stuff and I've a ton of homework, so I'll probably update this every weekend, instead of everyday. Hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

Chapter 21

Callen.

AJ's family are all exactly like her. Not in looks, but in personality. Smart, kind, stubborn as hell. Lucy and Danny look exactly like AJ and their mother, but Mara, Adam and Ryan look nothing like them, except for the pale complexion.

I can see AJ slowly falling apart. This case is killing her. It's been two days since Michael Sanders killed Rachael Matthews, and we still haven't got any leads.

"Callen?" Eric's picture comes up on the TV screen.

"Yeah, Eric?" I reply.

"Hetty wants everyone in Ops. We found another body."

"Same MO?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"We'll be right there."

I'm in the boatshed with the Connors family, Sam and Nate. AJ is sitting with her head in her hands. She hasn't left the boatshed for the past two days.

"AJ. You can stay here. G, Nate and I can handle this." Sam says. Over the past few days, Sam has taken a real shine to AJ, protecting her like he would a sister. He hasn't been home in the past few days either, knowing that if he left, something could happen to AJ or anyone in her family.

"No." She snaps. "These people were killed because of me. I need to see this."

If her tone of voice is anything to go by, she's not going to take no for an answer.

"Okay. We've heightened security on your family. 4 agents, plus Lucy, Danny and Adam make seven. They should be safe." I say.

AJ turns to look at her sister and brothers. "Lucy. If you try to sneak out of here, so help me God, I'll kill you myself."

Lucy rolls her eyes at her older sister. "I won't."

"Carmel Rodgers. 38. Found dead outside her bridal boutique in Beverly Hills this morning. Shot in the chest, just above the heart. Coroner estimates TOD at around 5am this morning. Her husband says that she went in early that morning to put together a wedding dress for a client." Nell begins.

Everyone looks to AJ. "You know her?" Deeks asks.

"Yeah, um, she's my neighbour." She replies.

"That means he knows where you live." Kensi concludes.

"Most likely." AJ says meekly.

"I'll get CSU over to your place, process it, see if he's been in there. Kensi, Deeks, go talk to AJ's other neighbours, see if they've seen anything suspicious in the past few days." I order. Kensi and Deeks head out the door. "Sam and I will go to the M.E's office, see the body. AJ, you and Nate go back to the boatshed."

"No way, Callen. I'm not gonna sit twiddling my thumbs when a guy is out there trying to kill me. Nate and I will go to the M.E's. You and Sam go check on my family." She says stubbornly. Her facial expression says 'Don't argue with me', so I just nod.

"I hope we get this guys soon, Sam." I say as my partner and I walk out to the car. "It's killing her. She's not thinking straight."

"I know, G. I want him, too. I'm not gonna let this guy hurt her, or her family, or any of us for that matter. She's family, and we protect family."

Sam was right. AJ Connors is part of our crazy, dysfunctional family. She's the new girl. The little sister. The smart one. The beautiful one. And I am not gonna let some psychopathic moron hurt her for something she couldn't control.

_He's not gonna hurt her again._

**I know it's short, but my inspiration has been lacking these days. Nevertheless, please leave reviews and suggestions on where you think this story should go, cos I haven't fully decided yet. :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note- My inspiration is still lacking, but enjoy this nonetheless. :) I started a new Criminal Minds fic, so if you guys could check it out it'd mean a lot :)**

Kensi.

"Okay. Thanks." I say as my partner and I turn to leave the property. This is the last house on AJ's block, and since she hasn't been living there long, no-one saw anything suspicious.

"This case is killing AJ. We need to find this guy, soon." Deeks says.

Before I could agree, my phone rings.

"Yeah, Eric?" I answer, assuming it is our geeky technical operator.

"We got a problem. Hetty wants everyone in Ops. Now." He says, his voice muffled by the phone.

"Okay. We're on our way." I say before I hang up.

"What's up?" Deeks asks, as I round to the driver's side door and get in to my car.

"We got a problem. Hetty wants us in Ops." I answer hastily.

"Drive." He says.

* * *

In Ops.

"Eric, what do we have?" I hear Callen say as my partner and I enter Ops.

"We put a BOLO out on Michael Sanders. We just got a hit." Nell says.

"Where?" AJ asks.

"5 blocks down from the LAPD crime lab. Their office with the personnel files was just broken into." Eric continues.

"We keep our personnel records in a vault a block from there." Nate informs.

"Yeah, and that office has reported a breach in security, too." Nell says.

"Any files stolen?" Sam asks.

"Just the box of files relating to this team." Hetty says. "We have a video of a man in security uniform taking the files."

"Michael?" AJ asks.

"No, this man was a member of security. We matched his face to his employee record. LAPD have already taken him into custody." Eric says.

"But he didn't have the files on him. We believe that he handed them off to Sanders mere minutes before he was arrested." Nell continues.

"We believe Michael Sanders is in a warehouse about a mile from here. It was recently bought by the guard that was arrested. We're gearing up Tactical Assault teams to take down the warehouse. Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna, Mr. Getz, Mr. Deeks and Ms. Blye, you will all be part of that team." Hetty says.

"Hold on, what about me?" AJ asks.

"Ms. Connors. You are way too close to this case. I'm keeping you off the Tac team because you risk getting yourself or others killed."

"With all due respect, Hetty, I'm going in. I want to take down this murderer myself." AJ says.

"Alright, dear. You may go. But the rest of your team are taking the lead. If you step one foot out of line-"

"You'll have my badge. I know. Now let's go catch this sonovabitch before he kills someone else." AJ says, walking out the door.

"She's a fighter." Hetty says.

"That she is." Callen says, as we all leave the room to get the bastard that is trying to hurt one of our own.

* * *

**Yes, I know, It's short, but be patient. Once the new season starts, my muse will return, and I'll be back with better chapters again. Please leave a review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**I'm an awful person, I know, I should start updating sooner... I still love you guys though...3 Enjoy!**

Callen.

Entry time- 5 minutes.

Myself and the team have been briefed with the Tac plan. We go in quiet, through the side entrance and back doors.

We're parked in an empty lot a mile and a half from the warehouse. AJ's standing beside the van, trying to fix in her earwig. And failing. Her shaking hands make it practically impossible to fix in an earwig, much less shoot a gun with any degree of accuracy.

"Here, let me." I say, bending down to pick up the listening device she just dropped.

"Thanks." She says as I gently place the device into her small ear. "You don't think I can do this, can you?" She says, as her green eyes lock on to mine.

"What I think doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you know you can do this without letting your emotions get in the way."

"I know, I know. But-" She says turning away. "I need to do this. This guy has ruined my life so much by now, that I don't think I can come back from it this time, unless that sonovabitch is in cuffs or in the ground."

"AJ, look, I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I know you are the most determined person I have ever met. I know you need to go in there, to get closure. So I'm telling you now, as your boss and your friend, if you step even one toe in front of me, I'll put a bullet in you myself. Clear?" I say, with a joking smile.

"Clear." She says, smiling the first smile of hers I've seen in days.

"Agent Callen, we're taking positions." Informs Tactical Advisor Richard Kelly.

I nod, and AJ looks at me.

"You'll do great in there." I say. "Watch your six."

"Always do, G." She smiles.

* * *

"Team 1, ready?" Hetty's voice asks over our coms.

"Team 1. Ready." Says Penny Faraday, leader of Team 1, entering through the back entrance. Penny, although relatively young, only thirty years of age, is one of NCIS's most valuable assault weapons. How Hetty managed to steal her away from the FBI is one of NCIS's great mysteries.

"Team 2, ready?" called Hetty.

"Team 2 is a go." Kensi Blye says from the other end of comms. While her partner is on Penny's Team, Nate is Kensi's Number 2. I can see from where I'm standing that Kensi has her weapon pointed at the side door and ready for entry.

"Team 3?" Hetty says.

"Team 3, ready." I answer through the comms. I can feel AJ's tension behind me. Her breathing has accelerated, and I can tell her bloodstream is being flooded with adrenalin. Her weapon, and mine, are poised at the front door, our sidearms on our hips.

"And Team 4?"

"Team 4 is a go, Hetty." Sam says. His team is out of my line of view, around the other side of the building.

"Everyone is a go. Breach on my command." She pauses, presumably to give Nell and Eric one final look of confirmation.

"1..." The sound of the rest of my team of ten raising their weapons fill my pounding eardrums.

"2..." The distinctive 'click' of the teams loading their guns rings around the isolated warehouse.

"3..." I position my hand on the doorknob.

"Execute. Execute. Execute." Hetty's voice calls one last time over the comms.

The team rushes in. Across the large space I can see Penny and Deeks shuffling in the rear door. I feel a whip of air rush past my neck as AJ quickly turns, her silky hair brushing my neck.

"Michael Sanders!" I hear Kensi shout. "Federal Agents. Put your weapon down."

My eyes turn to the cause of Kensi's outburst. Caucasian male. Brown hair. Black hoodie and dark jeans. I look to his raised hand. A tiny piece of weaponry hidden in the palm of his hand. A cellphone.

"Michael, put the phone down and slowly raise both your hands above your head." I say.

"One push of a button and I can blow all of us to hell. This whole place is rigged with explosives. I can't believe you agents. You're meant to be one of the best. And you couldn't even tell that I had explosives. Geniuses." He says.

"Michael. Please. Put the phone down. Please." A meek voice says from behind me.

AJ's voice startles Sanders. "AJ? I didn't think you'd show. All the better for me. We'll both go to hell together."

"Michael. You don't have to do this. These people have done nothing wrong! You killed three people, Mike. All people I knew when you last saw me. All people I hadn't seen in years."

"You loved all of them, once. I kill someone you love, because you killed someone I loved. My son." He says, his eyes glaring at the woman beside me.

"I didn't kill him, Michael. It was an accident. I didn't mean to." She says, her voice slowly becoming more assertive.

"Oh, like hell you didn't. You didn't want him. You didn't love him like I did."

"I loved him, Mike! I loved him!" She shouts. Her gun is still trained on him. "You wanna know something?"

His head cocks ever-so-slightly to the side. "Try me."

"He didn't die because of something I did. He had a defect. Even if I had carried him to term, he would have died minutes after he was born."

"You're lying." He says with a shake of his head.

"Do you really think I would lie about him like that?" She replies. "He was my son too. Goddamnit, Mike, he was my son too."

"I saw the ultrasounds. He looked perfectly fine."

"Well, he wasn't."

Michael's face is slowly falling to an emotionless mask.

"Michael, please. Put the cellphone down, and you'll walk out of here." She pleads with him.

"No. AJ, you know this can only end in two ways. Me leaving in handcuffs, or all of us leaving in bodybags. And I can tell you, I would rather the latter." He threatens.

"What happened to you, Mike? You aren't the man I fell in love with eighteen years ago. You aren't the man who proposed to me on the spot when you found out I was pregnant. You aren't the man I once knew."

"I'll tell you what happened. My son died. Because of you."

I steal a glance at Kensi and Penny. And then at Sam. Their guns are still trained on Michael Sanders, but their guns are focused on specific parts of his body.

"You all have five seconds to lower your weapons," he addresses the rest of us, "or this whole place gets blown to hell."

"You know that's not going to happen, Michael." Kensi says matter-of-factly.

"Well, then, have fun in hell."

His thumb lowers onto the trigger button.

"Now!" I call.

It all happens so fast. Kensi's shot hits his leg. Penny's, his arm. Sam's his trigger hand. AJ's, his head.

* * *

**What did you think? Please R&R! 3**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24.**

_Author's Note. I just got a new Word Processing System, so if the format's different that's why. Also, I'm looking for a beta reader, so contact me if you're interested. Finally, Enjoy!_

* * *

Nate.

She's just standing there. Her eyes glazed over. Her jaw clenched. Her gun still raised. But yet, AJ Connors has never looked as beautiful and more determined that she did in that moment.

Her gun is still raised at the same spot when Kensi goes over to check Michael Sanders' pulse. Kensi looks up at Callen, and shakes her head.

"AJ," Callen says, gently putting his hand on her gun and lowering it, "he's gone."

She holsters her weapon, but her body is still rigid, and when the light hits her face from a window, a glint of a tear can be seen from her eye.

"Let's go." I tell her, putting my arm around her shoulder to turn her away from the image of the man she once loved, lying dead on the cold concrete.

She spins slowly on her heels and, almost reluctantly, walks quietly out of the warehouse with me.

I pull up to her house three hours later, and we both sit in silence. The only sound surrounding us is the gentle hiss of the air conditioning vent. Night has fallen in the time it took us to drive from Ops to AJ's house. We're both staring out the windscreen, and neither of us dares to say a word.

I am so lost in thought that I jump when I hear the gentle clicking of the seatbelt buckle from beside me.

"Thanks...for, uh, giving me a ride home." She says, sniffling.

"No problem." I pause. "Do you, uh, need anything else?"

"Sleep." She says, managing a smile. "Goodnight, Nate."

"Night, AJ."

She elegantly steps out of the car, and I wait until she is inside her door before I slowly pull my car from her driveway.

I quietly contemplate going to the beach, after all, AJ does live in Venice, and I'm driving along the sea.

I park my car, and step out. It's dark, but there are still some people on the beach.

A happy couple, sitting near the rocks, about 50 yards from me. A group of teenagers, playing soft music. Two friends by the edge of the water, picking up their belongings. And a lone federal agent, sitting on the sand. I try my hardest not to think about AJ, what she must be going through. _God knows I've seen that too many times. _I have to give her her space, at least for a few days, until I can't take not seeing her any more.

* * *

AJ.

Free. I am free. _Then why do I feel like I'm trapped in a cage? _It's been 3 days. 3 days since I last showered. 3 days since I left my house. 3 days since I saw him. 3 days since I killed him.

I walk over to the fridge. No beer. _Dammit._

I open the freezer. No ice-cream. _Damn._

_You knew you would have to leave the house at some stage, right?_

_Shower first, then food. _

As I undress, the warm, humid air from the open window hitting my bare skin, I think of him. How many times he must have seen me like this. How many times he ran his hand over my skin, how many times he must have kissed my neck, and every other inch of my body.

As I step into the shower, letting the cool water run over my skin, I feel like I'm washing away every trace of him, every moment we spent together, every laugh, every touch, hug, cuddle, kiss. My hands run through my hair, spreading the lemon-scented shampoo throughout my knotty, greasy hair. I wash away every trace of him, gladly, because now he's dead, and I don't have to worry about him killing my family any more.

Danny and Adam flew back to D.C yesterday, on my orders, of course. Mara left for Seattle this morning, and took my mother, reluctantly, with her. Lucy had vacation days accumulated and would sooner jump off a plane than leave me. Both her and Ry have been over everyday since he died, against my wishes, but I can't say no to my baby brother. It's got nothing to do with Lucy.

I've thrown on my U.C hoodie, and yoga pants, and put on my red Converse. My hair is still wet, my face, makeup-less.

I grab my keys, my wallet and my phone and swing open the door to find Nate, with his fist poised to knock.

"Hey." I greet.

"Hey." He answers back.

"What are you doing here? Wait, stupid question. Hetty sent you, didn't she?" I assume.

"Actually, no, she didn't. I came to see if-"

I cut him off. "If I'm okay? I'm fine, Nate."

"If you wanted to get some coffee. But I see you're just heading out. I'll call back later." He turns to walk away.

"No! Nate, wait." I stop him. "That sounds nice. I was going to get more ice-cream and beer, but coffee actually does sound better."

"It's settled then. Let's go."

* * *

We sit down at my favourite coffee shop, with ice-cold frappuccino's in our hands. Nate's eerily quiet. It's like he's not sure what to say.

"So, how's everything at Ops?" I ask, attempting to break the awkward silence.

"I wouldn't know. Hetty gave us all the week off. Haven't seen the rest of the team since..." He trails off, knowing that if he talked about what happened in that warehouse, it might set me off.

"Since I killed Michael. You can say it Nate. I'm fine." I assure him, and I'm pretty sure that I'm being truthful.

I sip my coffee. "Truth be told, I'm glad he's dead. And I'm glad I'm the one who put him in the ground. He ruled my life for way too long, and now it's time for me to get on with my life."

He nods silently.

"How's your family? How'd they take the news?" He asks.

"They took it really well, actually." I pause to laugh. "As soon as I told Lucy, she leapt out of her chair and hugged me. Ry couldn't stop smiling. Danny and Adam were happy. Mara and my mom were still smiling when they left."

He smiles. "So, Mara and your mom, they're gone back to Seattle?"

"Yeah," I say, nodding my head, "against my mothers' wishes, but Mara needed to get back to the hospital and I told my mom to go with her. Danny and Adam went back to D.C this morning."

"So it's just you, Ryan and Lucy." He states.

"Yeah. Lucy wouldn't leave until I pushed her on a plane. And even then, she would sooner jump off it than leave me."

"She sounds like a great sister."

"She is. We were born two years apart, so we were always together. Best friends."

"What about Mara?" He asks.

"Mara's 8 years younger than me. We couldn't get along, even if we wanted to." I pause. "That's why she's a doctor. Well, partially. Mara didn't get along with any of us. She threw herself into her school work. Graduated Valedictorian of her Senior class. Pretty, smart and popular. Mara was the whole package. She has an above-average IQ, but she learned how to handle it well."

"What about the rest of your siblings?"

"Lucy was your crazy wild child. Went to parties every weekend, stayed up all night. She nearly gave my dad a heart attack when she came home from a party with her then-boyfriend in tow. Thought the whole house was asleep. She got grounded for two months after that." I smile, remembering Lucy's constant complaints about being confined in our house for two months. "Danny was your typical jock. Star of our high-school football team. Brought home the state championship for us his senior year. He made my dad so proud when he graduated with a Masters in weapon engineering." Danny is one of the best men I've ever known. I remember that every time he goes to see my mother, she asks why he hasn't got a woman in tow. "Adam was the mischief maker. He once was grounded for three months when he cut off Mara's hair while she was sleeping. And Ry, Ryan was the baby. He could do no wrong. One of us always got blamed for drawing on the walls, or painting our cat blue. But I was always protective of him. I was twelve when he was born, and when I was able to drive I had to shuttle him to all his soccer games and friend's houses. He was the first person I saw when I woke up in hospital after being shot."

As I finish describing my siblings crazy antics, my phone rings. A picture of Ryan pops up on screen, and I say, "Speak of the Devil." I decline the call.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Nate asks.

"Nah, Ryan can wait." I pause. "What about you Nate? You must have been lucky growing up without brothers or sisters."

"I didn't grow up alone. My, uh..."He trails off. "My aunt and uncle died in a car accident when I was five. My cousin, Samantha, moved in with us after my parents agreed to take her in." He pauses. "Sam's the same age as me. We grew up together, same friends, same hangouts. We're best friends."

"How come I've never heard you talk about her?" I ask, intrigued by the fact that Nate has a 'little sister'.

"I don't want to talk about her at work. It saves me from imagining her in the same position as some of those people." He replies.

"She sounds great. Where does she live?"

"San Diego. She's a writer." He laughs. "You couldn't keep her off her computer when she was a teenager. Always writing some different story, keeping them all saved. Her dream was to get published. And it's finally coming true. Sam's getting her first crime novel published within the year."

"She's a crime novelist? Solving crimes must run in the family."

"Yeah, I suppose it does."

"Listen," I begin, checking my watch, "I better go, I've got a few errands to run. Thanks for the coffee."

"It's no problem. See you soon."

"You will." I pick up my bag. "Bye Nate."

I start walking towards my house, I feel grateful. Grateful for my family. My team. Nate. Grateful that Michael's finally gone.

My phone rings.

"Hey, Luce." I say, holding the phone to my ear.

"I've got news. Where are you? You're not at home, I'm starting to worry." She replies.

"I was out with Nate. We got coffee. I just have a few errands to run before I can see you."

"Oh, Nate...Is that the incredibly handsome blue-eyed man you've clearly been swooning over the past few days?"

"No, because I'm pretty sure Nate has brown eyes."

"Oh, Nate's your incredibly tall partner then?"

"That's him."

"He's cute. And smart." Her comment surprises me slightly. _Did she just hit on my partner? I'm sure she did. Then again, it is Lucy. _"Listen," she continues, "I'll be at your place in five. Don't go anywhere."

"Wait Luc-" Too late. Dial tone.

My mind recalls the conversation. _Handsome blue-eyed man? Who would she be talking about?_

I'm fooling myself. I know who she's talking about. _And she just may be right._

**Thanks for reading! Please R&R!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25.**

_Hey guys, another chapter for you! Enjoy!_

Lucy.

"Luce, c'mon, tell me quick, if I stay in the house too long I'll never leave." AJ greets.

"Well, hello to you too." I say, sarcastically.

"What's so important that it couldn't wait for a few hours?"

"You know me, AJ. Never the patient one." I shake my head. "Anyway, since you obviously want to get rid of me, I'll tell you." I pause purely for dramatic reasons. "I'm getting transferred. The local FBI office needs someone to join their Hostage Rescue team. And that person is me."

"You're moving to LA?" My sister asks, surprised.

"Yeah!" I shout, a huge smile breaking across my face.

We hug, and AJ says, "We have to celebrate. Forget ice-cream and beer, we're going out tonight!"

"AJ, sweetie, are you sure? You've just gone through a traumatic event, are you sure you want to go out with loads of people?" I ask, concerned.

"I'm fine, Luce. Don't worry about me. I'm fine." She babbles.

"Okay, if you're sure, what do you have in mind?" I ask, curious.

"Dinner. Maybe a few drinks after. I do not trust you in clubs."

"Awww! I like dancing!" I exclaim.

"I know, but no. Not after the last incident."

A smile spreads across my face, knowing full well that she is referring to the time we went dancing a few months before she moved here. I got so magnificently drunk that I broke my ankle when I was dancing. _Typical me. _

"Okay. Okay. Well, if were only going to a bar and dinner, will you at least bring that dashing partner of yours?" I learned the word _dashing_ when I studied in London for a semester. "Pretty please?"

She looks at me, shocked. "You mean_ Nate?_ My partner, Nate?"

"Hell yeah! He is a tall glass of water. I like it. He's smart, too." I pause. "I mean, if you weren't so preoccupied with that mysterious secret agent, you would have noticed how many flirtation signals I threw out to him."

She scoffs. "_Mysterious secret agent? _Really, Luce? He has a name, and so does my partner."

"So you're not denying that you were a little preoccupied. I knew it."

"I never said that! I mean...um..." She trails off, puzzled by what to say next.

"You do! Invite him, too, and Ryan, and the rest of your team for that matter. It'll be fun."

"Fine. But we're only going drinking."

"Deal. Call them. Especially Nate." I wink at her.

"Fine." She picks up the phone.

"Hey, Nate, Lucy and I were going to go get drinks tonight, and we were wondering if you might like to join us." She pauses to listen to tall, dark and handsome's answer. "Great. O' Flanagan's on 8th, 7:30? Yeah, see you there." She turns to me. "Happy?" She asks.

"Not until you call Agent Blue-Eyes." I say, smirking.

"Stop calling him that. His name is Callen." She corrects me, picking up the phone. "Hey, Kens. You wanna come drinking with me, Lucy and Nate later? Great. O' Flanagan's on 8th. About 7:30? Yeah, bring Deeks. See you there." She hangs up.

"You didn't call him, not unless his first name is Kens. Tut-tut, sweetie. Call him. Now." She rolls her eyes at me.

"Hey, Nell, do you and Eric want to go out for drinks? It's just a few of us, Nate, Kensi, Deeks, Lucy and me. You guys in? Brilliant. O'Flanagans on 8th, 7:30? 'Kay. See you guys there." She, once again, hangs up

"Call him. Now." I demand, becoming more and more impatient.

"Fine." She dials a number on her phone. "Hey, Callen, um, do you want to go for drinks later? Just the team, and my sister. Yes, of course you can bring Sam. He's the life of the party." She laughs like a teenager on the phone to her crush. Well, half that is true, except she's thirty-six. "O' Flanagan's, 7:30? Great. See you there." She hangs up, and judging by her facial expression, she is trying very,_ very_ hard not to scream with excitement.

"Good." I say. "Let's find you something sexy to wear." I drag her into her walk in closet. My first impression of it was that it was meticulously organised. _Not for long._ "Jesus, AJ, you have so much clothes! How come I never see you in half this stuff?" I ask, shocked by the amount of colourful blazers and shirts I see. "Now, where are your dresses?"

"Back wall." She informs.

"Hmm..." I say, flicking through her vast array of dresses. "Nope." I disregard a red skater dress, with three-quarter length sleeves. _Too conservative. "_No way." I throw a yellow sundress on the floor.

"Hey!" AJ shouts. "Luce, I know your a slob, but come on, my stuff too? Put it back."

"Fine!" I scoff angrily, and continue my search. _A baby blue shift dress? No. A black dress with lace sleeves? No._

"Aha!" I exclaim, my hands resting on the perfect dress. "When was the last time you wore this?"

AJ runs her hands over the black bodycon dress. Simple, yet perfect.

"I don't know, um, maybe to a blind date my friend set me up on a few months back? It made one hell of an impression."

"With a body like yours, sis, any bodycon dress would make an impression."

"You're just saying that because we're the exact same size." She says.

"Okay, yes, but it still would look phenomenal on you. Go put it on."

"Fine." She grabs the dress from my hands and walks off into the bedroom.

_Nice one, Luce._ _Now, how to accessorise a simple black dress?_

I find her jackets and blazers. _God, there must be close to thirty blazers here. _I pick out a structured red blazer. You can't go wrong with red and black.

Shoes. Courts? Ankle boots? Flats? Stilettos? _Wedges. _I find a pair of beautiful black wedge heels. Perfect.

AJ re-enters the room, wearing the dress looking amazing.

"Wow." Is all I can muster up. The dress falls just above her mid-thigh, and clings to every curve of her body.

"Thanks, Luce. Is it a little too slutty? I mean, I'm just going out with work friends."

"And it just so happens you have more than a little crush on one of them. This dress will leave him speechless." I hold up the jacket and shoes. "Put these on."

"In a minute. After we find something for you to wear."

She moves around her closet with graceful efficiency. I've always been jealous of her gracefulness, as I am one of those people who falls over nothing.

"Here." She says, holding up an aqua-blue bodycon with capped sleeves. I take it from her. "And here." She continues, holding up a black leather jacket. "And here." A pair of nude stilettos. Walking in heels has been one of the few things I am better at than her. "Shoo. Go put them on." She shoves me out of the closet and into her room. I quickly undress and stare at my reflection in the mirror. _I came prepared, _I think as I see the matching black lace undergarments I threw on this morning. I put on the dress, and leave the shoes and jacket on the bed.

"Oh. My. God. Luce. It fits you like a glove."

"Good. Look, we got a half hour before we have to leave. Make-up, hair, then let's go."

"Kay."

Half an hour later, AJ and I have our make up-done, AJ with a smokey eye in brown, me with winged eyeliner and a berry lipstick. My hair is in a messy side plait, and AJ's in a messy bun. When we get into her SRX, its 7pm, and it takes 25 minutes to get there. We're the first ones there. We take a seat in the corner booth, and AJ orders a round of beers for everyone. The door opens, and a 6 foot-something giant strolls in.

My heart stops.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please R&R! 3**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26.**

_Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for your reviews once again, keep 'em coming! I'm kind of debating whether to finish off this story soon, and start a sequel, or just continue with this. Love to know what you think! Enjoy 3_

* * *

**Callen. **

It's just drinks. Nothing more. Just drinks with friends. _Except she's not just a friend. _I know Nate likes her, I've been an agent for too long not to notice something like that. I just want her to know that I like her, too. More than I've liked anyone before, actually. More than Tracy, more than Kristen. More than anyone.

_Don't make a fool of yourself in front of her tonight, G._

It took me five minutes flat to get ready. I'm dressed in black jeans, a midnight blue shirt and a leather jacket.

The taxi that I'm in pulls up to the Irish pub. I pay the cabbie and quickly fix my jacket and shirt.

_You've never been fussy about your appearance before, G._

I walk through the double doors and scan the crowd. I see couples, a group of twenty-something year-olds, and a group of women who look like they're out on a bachelorette party. Finally, I see her. She's in the corner booth, Lucy on her left, Nate to Lucy's left, and Eric and Nell on her right.

Nell is the first to spot me. From this position, I see Nell is wearing a purple skirt with a black t-shirt and, for once, she isn't wearing her signature tights. Her legs instead are bare, and she has a pair of black heels on. "Hey, Callen! Over here!" She shouts.

AJ looks up and her eyes meet mine. Her hair frames her face exquisitely, and her eye-make up accentuates her clear green eyes perfectly.

As I approach the table, she says to me, "Hey, Callen." She smiles brilliantly. "You remember Lucy, my sister?"

"Yeah, of course. Nice to see you again, Lucy." I reply.

"Likewise." Lucy says.

"Here! Sit! Eric, scoot over." Nell commands. It's easy to tell who wears the pants in that relationship.

I take the seat that Nell has freed up for me, and ask, "So, what's the occasion?"

"There's no occasion." AJ lies, smiling at her sister.

"You'd think that two federal agents would be better at lying." Nell says.

"Fine, there is an occasion, just wait until the others get here."

Kensi and Deeks must have heard their cue from outside, because as soon as AJ finishes her sentence, the pair come strutting in the door, Kensi wearing a black jacket, white shirt and a black skirt, Deeks wearing jeans and a shirt.

"Hey, uh, guys." AJ greets Kensi and Deeks with a puzzled expression, and I can see why. Kensi's hair is standing up perpendicular to her head, and Deeks has a faint lipstick stain on his neck and cheek.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sam entering the pub.

"Hey, guys." Sam greets, and proceeds to burst out in laughter.

"What's so funny?" Deeks asks.

"Is that lipstick on your neck, Deeks?" Sam asks, "And is that a new hairstyle, Kensi?"

Exactly in sync with each other, both their hands shoot up, Kensi's to her head, Deeks' to his neck.

The rest of us burst out laughing.

"Beers?" A waiter asks.

"Yeah, just put 'em in the middle. Thanks." Says Lucy.

"Okay, now that everyone's here, what's the news?" Nell asks, desperate to know.

"Well, it's nothing big, it's just that Lucy just got transferred to the FBI field office in LA. She's moving here." AJ explaines.

"Lucy!" Nate shouts. "That's amazing, congratulations!"

"Hah, thanks Nate." Lucy says, giggling.

The rest of us pick up our drinks, and continue with our conversation, that is, until the music comes on an hour later. Nell, being Nell and not being able to hold her alcohol, immediately leaps out of her chair, grabs Eric by the arm, and drags him to the dancefloor. The bar is now full to capacity, it being LA and a Friday night.

"What the hell. You want to go dancing, Fern?" Deeks asks his partner. "Pretty please?"

"Okay, since you begged." She rolls her eyes and walks to the middle of the bar. Since arriving, Kensi has taken off her jacket, and slyly unbuttoned one of her shirt buttons.

"I don't care if I'm going on my own, I'm going dancing." Lucy says, standing up and adjusting the hem of her extremely tight dress.

"Here, I'll go with you." Nate says, which surprises me, I never pegged Nate for the dancing type.

Sam left a few minutes ago, something about Michelle calling to get him to mind Zoe and Zack. That just leaves AJ and myself.

"They're all magnificently drunk." AJ says, laughing.

"Lucy had more to drink than the rest of us combined." I reply.

"She was always the wild one." She laughs.

She takes a sip of her drink. I see that half the label is torn off, presumably by AJ scratching at it. I make a bold move and shove across the seat, positioning myself directly beside AJ.

"How are you, AJ?" I ask.

"Good, I'm good." She answers, with a smile. For the past hour or so she has been all smiles, laughing at every joke, making them herself. Its a huge change from when I saw her last, broken, hurting, shocked. "What about you, G? How are you? I know Hetty gave us all the week off, and knowing you that must be hell."

"It's fine," I say, "I manage to find something to do."

We both suddenly laugh at the sight of Nate 'dancing'.

"That made my night." She says with tears in her eyes.

"Definitely." I say.

On the dancefloor, Lucy is in fits laughing at Nate, who has no clue what he's doing wrong.

"Thanks for inviting us out tonight, AJ. It's the most fun I've had in a while." I say.

"It's no problem. I needed to get out." She smiles. "You want another beer?" She asks.

"Sure." Since the bar is full, AJ has to get up and get the drinks. When she stands up, her full outfit is revealed to me.

"Wow." I say to myself. That dress hugs every one of her curves, leaving no room for guessing. My eyes are still fixated on her amazing body when Nell returns.

"Callen, stop staring, you'll get yourself into trouble." Her voice startles me.

"I thought you were dancing with Eric." I say.

"I'm thirsty. He went to get me a drink..." She trails off when she realised my gaze has floated back to AJ, hunched over the bar. "For the love of God, G. Why don't you just ask her out?"

"What?" I stammer. "Ask her out?" Nell nods in response. "I'm waiting for the right time, Nell."

"No time like the present." She hops off her chair and walks off to join Eric.

AJ returns with the beer and slumps down beside me. We talk for a while, about everything and anything, our conversation floating from one topic to the next.

An hour later, Nell says, "I'm wrecked. I'm going home." She stands up and picks up her handbag and jacket.

"I'll come with you." Eric says, helping Nell with her jacket.

"I better go, too,"Kensi says, "I'm going to have breakfast with my mom tomorrow, so I don't want to show up with a hangover."

After that, Deeks and Nate leave, and Lucy follows them out with a simple "goodbye."

That leaves, once again, AJ and me.

"Well, I guess I better head, too." She says.

"Me too. Walk you out?"

"Yeah, thanks." She says.

We walk out in silence.

"Thanks again, AJ. For a great night." I say. "I'll call you a cab."

"No need." She says, searching her purse. "Dammit, Lucy." She mumbles. "She stole my keys."

"So, cab?"

"Yeah, thanks, G." She laughs.

I hail down a cab, and open the door for her. She stands at the door, and says, "Goodnight, G Callen."

"Goodnight, AJ Connors." I reply.

She turns to get into the cab, but hesitates. She turns quickly, and in that split second, her lips are on mine.

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**What did you think? Please R&R!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27.**

_Author's Note- Hope you guys liked the last chapter! This chapter, and the next, will be focusing on the other pairings in the story, before returning to the kiss between AJ and Callen. These next few chapters will take place the night of the kiss, and the morning after. This chapter, Kensi and Deeks. Enjoy!_

**Deeks.**

_I'm so lucky. _Kensi Blye is with me. In my apartment. In nothing but my LAPD academy shirt. I involuntarily smirk at the perfect view of Special Agent Kensi Blye, trying so hard not to burn my place down as she cooks breakfast.

"Shit!" She exclaims as the frying pan crashes to the ground. I let out a small laugh.

"Not funny, Deeks." She scolds.

"I'm not laughing." I say, still smiling like an idiot.

"Yes, you are." She replies, standing up and placing the pan on the counter top.

I walk behind her, and wrap my arms around her waist, my lips nuzzling at her neck.

"Let me cook." I murmur into the curve of her shoulder.

She spins around to face me.

"No. I said I would cook, and I am going to cook."

"Or," I say, burying my face in her neck, placing light butterfly kisses across the smooth skin of her swan-like neck, "we could," I pause, as I place more kisses around her jawline, and feeling her hands curl into my hair.

She stops me. "You know what, breakfast can wait."

"Excellent choice, m'lady." I say, lifting her at the same moment she jumps, her legs entwining around my hips. I carry her to the couch, knowing that neither of us has enough self-control to last all the way across the room, to the bedroom. Her body wriggles underneath mine, our bodies melding into one. Her heel digs into my back, and, while one of my hands are caressing her face, the other one traces small circles on her left hip. Her teeth bite into my bottom lip, tugging ever so gently at it. Our tongues battle for dominance, our bodies rock back at forth with the movement of the other persons' body. Her shirt is slipping slowly up her flawless frame, and I'm about to lift it over her head when we're interrupted by a knock at the door.

"You expecting anyone?" She asks, puzzled.

"Nope." I say, reluctantly launching myself off the couch, and making my way to the door. A quick glance over at the table beside the front door confirms that my gun is still tucked away in the open drawer. My hand rests on it as I stare through the peep-hole.

"The hell?" I say, seeing who's at the other side of the door. I steal a look at my beautiful girlfriend, still lying beautifully on the couch, but her muscles have tensed up.

I unlock the two deadbolts and swing open the door. "Alexis?"

"Hey, Marty." She replies. "Oh." she says, spotting Kensi who has leapt up and attempted to cover her half-naked physique, "I didn't realise you had company."

"Alex, what are you doing here?"

"What, I can't stop by to see my big brother?" She smirks.

"No, you can't. Especially because you only stop by when you want something." I lean against the door. I can practically _feel _Kensi's look of shock and astonishment piercing through my skin. _Damn, I'm gonna get an earful for this one. _"So what do you want?" I ask my sister.

"Fine. I need you to get in a good word for me down at the LAPD. I'm just finishing college, and I _cannot _keep waitressing for the rest of my life. I know you have friends in the Crime Lab. Just mention to them that I'm looking for a job. Please, Marty? I'll be a good girl. I'll even bring you and your girlfriend my famous chocolate chip cookies." She says as she bats her eyelashes.

"Fine. You know I'm a sucker for those cookies. Now, Goodbye." I say, shutting the door.

"Wait!" She says, sticking her foot in the door. "You aren't going to introduce me to your girlfriend?"

"No. Bye." I reply, abruptly shutting the door in her face.

I turn to face a hard-faced Kensi, bracing myself for what's to come.

"You have a sister?" She exclaims. "Deeks! I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry. It's just that- I don't want her in harms' way. I don't tell anyone at work about her because I'm afraid someone will use her to hurt me. She's my little sister and-" Kensi interrupts me mid-sentence by capturing my mouth with hers. Our bodies intertwine, Kensi suddenly breaks the kiss to say a single sentence.

"You're amazing."

"I know." I smirk, and she smiles back.

**Whaddya think? Please R&R!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28.**

_Author's Note- I get to write more this week because I'm off school. Yay! A Neric chapter this time, although I'm kind of shipping Nell and Callen at the moment, and I'm thinking of starting a Nallen-based fic. Let me know what you think in the reviews! Enjoy!_

* * *

**Nell.**

"Mornin' sunshine." Eric greets as I walk out of the bedroom.

"Hmm...morning." I reply, kissing him quickly on the cheek. "You going surfing this morning?"

"No. Today it's just you and me." He smiles brilliantly. "Have you seen my glasses?"

"On the coffee table. You left them there last night." I inform him, gesturing to the burgundy coffee table situated in front of my couch.

"Thanks." He says. "Listen, I don't want to be pushy or anything, but..." he trails off.

"You want to know if I've given any more thought to your offer." I finish.

"Y-Yeah." He stammers.

"I have, Eric," I say, approaching him and placing my hands on his broad, muscular chest, "and I will." I manage to say, my heart pumping so hard that I think I might keel over.

_Who knew you'd be this exited?_

He looks at me with a stunned look. "So, you'll move in with me?"

"Of course, that's what I just said." I reply, and he picks me up and spins me around, kissing me.

When he puts me down, I say, "I already talked to my landlady, she says she's taking back my keys on Friday, so I better 'get my skinny ass out of the place by then.'"

He laughs. "Well, we can call the team, and they might help move your stuff before then." He says, chuckling.

"You sure they won't mind?" I ask.

"As long as we have beer, they won't mind."

I smile, resting my forehead on his chest. "I love you, Eric."

"I love you too, Nell." He replies, placing a light kiss on my lips.

"Well, I better get over to my place and start packing up my stuff." I say, pushing away from my boyfriends' body.

"Here, I still have boxes in my garage from when I moved into this place. We can put your stuff in those." He says, opening the garage door.

He returns seconds later holding two cardboard boxes, saying, "I'll put these in my car, and we can go over to your place after we've eaten."

It makes me happy seeing how excited he is about this. I pick up an apple from the counter, and walk into the bedroom. I stare out the bay windows, onto the white sand beach, the crystal blue water and the even bluer sky. I see a woman running with her dog along the pathway, 50 yards from the house. I see a man walking down to the water with his surfboard underneath his arm. I see a mother and father with their daughter, playing in the sand.

_I'm so lucky to have someone like Eric._

"Nell?" Eric says, popping his head around the door.

"Hmm?" I muster, my mouth full of apple.

"You want an omelette or something? I'll make breakfast, and then we can go." He says, joining me at the foot of the king-sized bed.

"No, I'm good right here." I say. "The view's amazing."

"Yeah, it is. And it's ours." He replies.

"I like that," I say, turning my head to look at Eric, "ours."

"Ours." He smiles, putting his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"Let's go." I say, standing up, and holding out my hand to him. "Are the boxes in the car?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Let's get going then."

We spent the rest of that day packing up my apartment, only stopping to eat and drink.

"I'll call the guys, see if they can help move my masses of stuff to your place." I say, dialling Deeks' number on my phone.

"Hey, Nell." He answers.

"Hey, Deeks. Listen, do you mind helping me and Eric move my stuff to Eric's place tomorrow?" I reply.

"Moving in with the boyfriend, huh?" He says, his voice muffled by both the connection and the distinct sound of the ocean. "Have you told Kensi?"

"Yes, sort of," I say, looking around to make sure Eric wasn't around to hear what I'm about to say, "and, Deeks, I know about the two of you."

"You do?" He asks, his voice puzzled, but with a slight note of happiness.

_He's smiling._

"Yeah. So what do you say to helping us out?" I say.

"Will there be beer?" He asks.

"Deeks, its like you don't know me at all. Of course there will be beer."

"Great, I'll give Kens a call."

"You should." I say. "Thanks, Deeks." I hang up the phone.

"Was that Deeks?" Eric asks, appearing in my living room.

"Yeah. He and Kensi can help out tomorrow."

"Great." He says, checking his watch. "We can bring your clothes and stuff back to my place tonight, its just the furniture and stuff."

"Yeah. You called your friend Jason, right?" I ask.

"Yeah, he said we can pick up the van from his place tomorrow morning."

"Great." I stand up on my tip-toes to kiss him. "Now, let's go home."

* * *

**Another chapter finished! Please drop a review on the way out! :3**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29.**

_Author's Note- Okay, finally time to get back to AJ and Callen. Hope you guys like this chapter, let me know what you think!_

* * *

**AJ.**

_*Ring Ring* _

The sound of my phone ringing wakes me up.

"Hullo?" I say sleepily, refusing to waste precious time glancing at the caller ID.

"Did I wake you?" Ryan's voice asks through the phone.

"No, genius. This is just how I talk now." I say sarcastically. "What do you want?"

"Someone's grumpy this morning." He says."I just want to let you know that I got a _huge _job designing a new building in the city."

"That's great, Ry. But did you have to call me _this _early?" I say.

"Early? AJ, its midday." He says, prompting me to look at the clock situated on my bedside table. _Shit. I never sleep this late._ "Something kept you up last night. You okay?"

"I'm fine, Ry. I gotta go. Call you later." I hang up the phone.

_I surely couldn't have slept 'til midday?_

The sunlight splitting through the curtains blind me when I sit up, causing a dizzy spell and a massive headache. I respond by lying back down.

Thinking back to last nights' events, I think, _how much did I drink last night?_

* * *

_Flashback to last night._

His hands are warm on my face, his lips soft on mine. The kiss lasts for less than a minute, breaking apart when I decide to say, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, um, I should, uh, go." I finish, stepping into the cab.

I try to shut the door, but his foot stops it. "No. You should have done that." He says, pulling himself into the cab, and kissing me this time. _Damn, he's a good kisser._

The kiss becomes deeper, more passionate, and lasts longer this time, until I pull away again, and say my address, keeping eye contact with him and smiling all the time. The cabbie pulls away from the curb, and Callen shuts the car door behind him.

The cab ride back to my place is a journey well spent. The cab stops in front of my apartment, I hand the driver a twenty dollar bill, and get out of the car, Special Agent G. Callen following closely behind. My hands search my purse for my house keys, while his hand is placed behind my back, carefully guiding me to my front door as my eyes squint in the darkness, trying to find the right key. It takes a minute or two, but nevertheless I still manage to get into my place.

As soon as the door shuts behind me, my purse and jacket, which I shed in the car, are on the back of the couch, and G. Callen and I are clumsily making our way to the bedroom.

He sheds his jacket, I slip off my heels. He spins me towards the bed, and I follow his lead, unbuttoning his shirt as I do so.

My mind is reeling, leaving me no room to think about the consequences of what I'm about to do. All I want is him. All I _need_ is him.

* * *

Present.

_So that's what happened. Oh. _

I smile at the thought of last night. My hand falls onto my head, and I think, _did I really just sleep with G. Callen? _

I turn to look at the other side of my bed. Empty. _Of course. I never would have pegged him for the late-sleeper type._ A quick scan of my surroundings confirm that he's not here. _Nice going, AJ. Sleep with a guy who can't face what he did. Well, he's going to have to, sooner or later. At least it'll give me time to think of what I'm going to say to him._

On that thought, I decide to get up and shower. Go for a swim, maybe, or a run._ Keep your mind off of him._

Ten minutes later, I'm out the door, with my swimsuit on and towel under my arm. I make my way to the beach, a quarter of a mile from my building. The sun is shining, and the sky is cloudless. I take my usual spot on the beach, nestled between a gap in the rocks at the end of the beach. I take off my tank top and shorts, pull my hair back into a messy bun and cleverly hide my clothes and bag in a corner of my hiding place. Making my way down to the crystal blue waters, I let the warm water cover my skin, and because the beach is busy, and its LA, no sooner have I entered the water when some guy approaches me.

"Hi." He says.

"Hi." I say, giving him no more than a quick glance.

"You come here often? 'Cos I've seen you around here before, a few times."

"Yeah, I come here sometimes." I reply.

"Listen, I don't mean to sound eager or anything, but would you like to, maybe get coffee with me sometime?" He asks innocently.

I sigh. _Of course, AJ. If you come down to the beach, wearing any type of revealing swimsuit, let alone a black bikini, you are going to get hit on. _"Look, you seem really nice and all, but I would just rather be alone right now. Maybe some other time."

He nods, and I look at him walk slowly away, seeing his shoulders hang slightly.

_Dammit, G. Why did you have to be so amazing and make me fall for you?_

As I set off on my swim down the beach, I keep repeating to myself, _don't think of him, don't think of him, _but I can't help it.

When I exit the beach a few hours later, he is still all I can think of. _You went swimming so that you could get him off your mind, not make yourself fall in love with him more, even when he left you without so much as a 'goodbye' or 'I'm sorry'._

* * *

I check my phone when I get back home. 3pm. _6 new messages. _One from Ryan, two from Lucy, undoubtedly sending me a link to one of those funny cat videos again, and three saying that I had new voicemails.

I type in my voicemail passcode, and the first message plays.

"Hey AJ, it's Nell. Call me back when you get this." I make a note to call her back, otherwise I'll forget it.

"Message 2." The automated voice announces.

"Hey, it's Danny. Just checkin' in. Call me." My brothers' voice sounds. I again tell myself to remember to call him back.

"Message 3."

My heart stops when I hear the voice on the other end. "Hey, um, its Callen. Listen, I'm sorry I ran out on you this morning. I didn't want to, believe me." He sighs. "If you want, we can meet up later, or something. Uh, call me, I guess. Bye." The message is time-stamped 12:37. Minutes after I left the house.

I'm debating whether to call him back or not. I agreed to call Danny and Nell back first, and then make my decision.

I first dial my brother's number. I get his machine.

"I can't come to the phone right now, but leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can." *Beep*

When the tone sounds, I say, "Hey, Danny, it's me. I got your message. This is me getting back to you. Call me when you can. Bye." *click*

I dial Nell's number.

"Hey, AJ." She says.

"Hey, Nell. You called me earlier." I reply.

"Yeah, I was just wondering if you could maybe help me and Eric out tomorrow. I'm moving in with him." She says happily.

"You two are moving in together?" I ask for confirmation. "That's so great, Nell. Congratulations."

"Thanks. So will you help out?" She asks.

"Of course! What time?"

"Ten, if that's okay?"

"Ten is great. Text me the address." I say.

"I will. Thanks, AJ. Bye." She says, before I hang up.

_Okay, AJ. Call him. But what if he doesn't answer? What if I don't like what I hear?_

_It doesn't matter what you like. You should call him. Call him._

_Okay, what would Lucy do? _I've always admired how Lucy handled situations, most of the time she handled them better than I did. I guess that's why she got offered that job in Hostage Rescue. _Lucy wouldn't chicken out. She'd call him. Give him a piece of her mind. But I'm not that kind of person. I wouldn't yell or scream at him, or get angry, even when I had every right to. I'd act rationally. _An idea pops into my head. _So text him._ That way, you won't break down when you hear his voice, you can still tell him what you're feeling. _It's perfect._

I pull out my cell and bring up the 'compose message' feature. I type Callen's number into the 'to' bar, and type a simple message.

_Meet me outside the Santa Monica Aquarium at six. _

As I press send, I wonder if that was the right call. _No use now, you have to be there. _

I have 3 hours until I have to meet him. I quickly shower, get re-dressed in jeans and a black tank top, and decide to make a call.

"Hey, AJ. How are you? It was only you and Super-Secret Agent Man left after I went home last night. You're welcome, by the way-"

"Lucy. Come over here and we'll talk all about it." I interrupt.

"'Here' as in your place?" She asks.

"No, 'here' as in Timbuktu." I sigh."Yes, my place."

"I'll be there in ten." She says, hanging up.

* * *

"_You slept with him?" _She exclaims when I break the news. "Good for you!"

"No, Luce, it is not 'good for me'. He walked out on me this morning without even saying goodbye!"

"Oh. Honey, I'm sorry. I know you like him."

"I do, Luce, that's the thing. After I came back from my swim, he'd left a message on my machine telling me that he didn't want to leave. So, I texted him, and told him to meet me at the aquarium at six."

"You did, huh?" She asks, raising her eyebrow. "You sure that was a good idea?"

"Yes. I really like him, and even if there is the slightest chance that he was sincere in that message, I'm going to take it."

"Okay. You want me to come with you, for moral support?"

"No, because the last time you came with me for 'moral support' the guy ended up with a broken nose."

"You're right. Just, call me afterwards, yeah?"

"You know I will."

* * *

**I gave you an extra long chapter because I couldn't stop writing. Hope you liked it! Please leave a review!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30.**

_Wow, chapter thirty already. I can't thank you guys enough for reading this. Your support keeps me going._

* * *

**Callen.**

_5:57pm. _

I sit quietly in my car, my eyes fixed on the doors of the aquarium. I'm far enough away from the building that I wouldn't be seen, but not far enough so that I couldn't see people entering and exiting the building.

The clock ticks towards 6pm, and yet there's no sign of her. I check my phone for the umpteenth time since I arrived forty-five minutes ago. No new messages.

On the dot of six, I see her. I immediately step out of the car, and in less than twenty seconds, I'm standing behind her.

I sigh. "AJ?"

She spins on her heels and turns to face me. She looks as elegant as ever.

She stares intensely at me, and I take that as my cue.

"I am so sorry, AJ. Really, I am. It took all the willpower I had to leave you there this morning."

"Then, why did you?" She asks, her face painted with a look of disapproval.

"I promised Sam I would be at Zoe's ballet recital. Sam called me to make sure I wouldn't forget. I couldn't tell him why I wasn't at his place yet because...well..." Here I am. G Callen lost for words.

"You didn't want him to know." She says. "I get it."

"Does anyone know?" I ask.

"Lucy. But she won't tell anyone. She's sworn to secrecy." She says, folding her arms. "You could have at least left a note."

"I should have, I know. I'm sorry. I'm not making any excuses for that huge mistake."

"Look, G, I get why you left. Had I been in your shoes, I would have done the same, so I'm not blaming you. I was just so...confused. I wanted to hear your side of the story before I leapt to conclusions." She takes a step closer. "And I'm happy you didn't lie. Most guys would have."

"I'm not most guys." I say, edging closer to her.

"Yeah. You're not." She pauses. "You're honest." She finishes, her eyes locking onto mine as a delicate smile spreads across her flawless face.

"I don't know about honest. I lie for a living."

"Well, you don't have to lie to me."

And right then, I knew. She is the best thing to ever happen to me.

* * *

The Next Day- at Nell and Eric's.

"Deeks!" Kensi shrieked as she attempted to wipe red paint off her hair. "You are so dead."

Deeks knew by Kensi's face that she was serious. Instinctively, he proceeded to sprint around the kitchen, attempting to flee his attacker/partner.

"You guys!" Nell shouted at the pair, who stopped immediately in their tracks. "No running in the kitchen!" Her voice had taken on a motherly tone, one which I had rarely heard come out of Nell's mouth.

"You are so gonna get it later."I heard Kensi mutter at her partner, who wiggled his eyebrows. Kensi scowled at him.

It was only 11am, and we'd been here only an hour. Kensi and Deeks were painting the living room a dark red, Nell and Eric were painting the kitchen cream, Nate and AJ were painting the spare room a light shade of blue, leaving Sam and I to haul Nell's wide range of home furnishings from the van parked outside, into the house.

"What's all the commotion about?" AJ asks, entering the room sporting paint splatters on her face, hair and clothes.

"Deeks painted Kensi red." Eric replies.

AJ's eyes float to the other woman. "Ah, I see. How is he not dead yet?"

"Nell managed to control the situation." Eric says.

AJ gives a nod of approval to Nell. "Well, Nate and I finished the first coat of the room. Should be dry in about an hour."

"Finished already? How?" Deeks asks.

"I didn't paint Nate's hair red." She says.

"Right." Deeks replies, returning to the wall overhead the mantlepiece.

"What'll we paint next?" Nate asks, entering the discussion.

"We could use some help with these boxes." Sam says, ducking through the door. "We'd get your stuff in here a lot faster, Nell."

"Yeah, go help those two. There's not a lot of stuff left, is there?" She calls after Sam.

"Nell, sweetie, did you see the amount of stuff you have?" AJ says, briefly patting Nell's shoulder.

I glance at Eric. His face, although smiling, has turned a bright red, as if suppressing a laugh. A swift jab to the ribs from Nell breaks his smile, letting out a meek 'ow' before facing her.

"So I have a lot of stuff, big deal." She says to him.

"And you need it all, I know." Was the last thing I heard from Eric before joining the others outside.

"Here, AJ. You get into the van and start handing us out boxes." I hear Sam suggest as I approach. She quickly hands him and Nate three boxes, one labelled 'pots' another 'pans' and another 'BREAKABLE picture frames'.

Nate and Sam make their way inside, and for the first time since I got here, I have a few seconds alone with AJ.

She hands me three small boxes, all delivered with a sweet smile.

I quickly look inside the house, and see that Nell has Nate and Sam talking, giving me just enough time, and a distraction, to quickly kiss AJ on the mouth and quietly ask her, "Dinner at mine tonight?"

"I'll be there." She immediately replies.

"Eight o' clock?" I suggest.

"Perfect. I'll bring wine." She offers, prompting a smile from me. "Now go bring those inside, or they'll suspect something." Now she smiles.

When I re-enter, the room is loud with conversation. Nell asking Nate and Sam whether she has too much stuff, Nate and Sam readily denying it, Eric telling Nell the same thing. Kensi and Deeks have disappeared, although no-one can blame wanting to get away from this conversation.

"Nell?" I say, breaking the conversation. "Where do you want these?"

"Just put them by the couch. Thanks, G."

"Sam, Nate? AJ has more boxes for you." I say.

Sam mouths a silent 'thank you' while Nate nods his head in gratitude.

"We should be finished with the boxes in a few minutes." I say.

"I'll go get some more coffee. You guys want anything to eat?" Nell asks. "Never mind. I'll just bring back some doughnuts and muffins. We do have Kensi here."

"Speaking of Kensi, where is she?" Eric asks, puzzled.

"Here." Kensi pipes up. "I was, uh, in the bathroom."

"And you Deeks?" I ask her partner, who appeared behind her.

"I, uh, um..." He stammers.

I see Nell exchanging a glance with Kensi.

"Fine." Kensi says, turning around to give Deeks a look this time, as Sam, Nate and AJ saunter in the doorway. "Go on. Say it. I know you want to."

A wide, proud smile breaks across Deeks' face. Kensi nods.

"Uh, guys. We want to tell you something." He pauses, giving Kensi a loving look, a look that confirmed what I already suspected, and what Nell knew. "Kens and I are dating." That sentiment was followed by a rush of air from Deeks' lungs, and the widening of everybody's eyes.

"Congratulations!" Eric squealed, prompting hugs all around.

When everyone's back is turned, bar AJ's, we exchange a smile. A happy smile. A loving smile.

* * *

Later that day.

All in all, it took seven hours to move, paint, and redecorate Eric's two-storey beach front home. It was accompanied by a large quantity of beer, and even larger quantities of food, which kept Kensi happy for the whole day.

Nell and Eric thanked everyone upon their exit, Kensi and Deeks leaving in Kensi's car, Nate leaving in his, AJ in hers and Sam and I in his Challenger.

Upon entering my house, my phone signals an incoming text message. I read the caller ID. _AJ Connors. _Seeing her name makes me smile.

_See you tonight. _

That's all the message reads, but it is worth a thousand words.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please R&R! :3**


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